The Death of Me
by RyaStar2
Summary: A different ending to the first show. Takes place right when Envy kills Ed. M for...well most of my stuff is M, just in case but there is probably gonna be some torture and non-con. Which most people who read M expect anyway.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Notes-So this is an alternate ending for the first show. I know others have done it as well but I wanted to give it a shot. And this is at the end of the show, no movie where most of the fans are disappointed. And no reviews telling me how great the movie was either. (Which I did actually like the movie but it wasn't the best anime movie I've seen. I need closure!) But I'd like to think that my revised ending might be a different way it could have ended.

Chapter One-Death

Edward stared down in shock, unable to move, not even able to breath. He never saw the final blow coming and his mind went blank. He almost couldn't comprehend what had just happened but the look on Envy's face just confirmed the impossible.

He had lost...but he couldn't loose, he was suppose to save Al. He was going to stop Dante and end all the suffering she'd caused for hundreds of years. He...he found it impossible to process everything as he suddenly coughed up blood and was pushed to the floor like he meant nothing. Like his life was nothing. He thought he heard Rose shout his name but the last thing he heard was Alphonse screaming for him before everything faded into white noise. Until it all ceased.

...

Envy felt a joy that he hadn't felt in a long time. He had killed so many humans over the years but this one almost seemed perfect to him. He couldn't get Ed's look of horror out of his mind. He would spend hours reliving that moment when the State Alchemist first realized who Envy really was. And to take that moment of pure agony to snuff out his pathetic existence was truly a work of art.

It was a shame that he wasn't able to do the same to the younger brother. Who would have thought that the suit of armor would get so angry all of the sudden. One of the main reasons Envy was told to kill the older one was to set an example. If Alphonse had just gone along with the plan then Dante would have her new body and they would be onto the next opportunity to make mankind suffer and be done with that Bastard's children.

But that was not what happened at all. There was a clap of leather gloves and then somehow the suit got up, silencing Dante as he made his way over to his brother's body still laying where it fell.

"Brother isn't dead yet, look theres' still some color in his face." Envy had heard enough as he marched over. Unfortunately he got there too late as Alphonse brought his hands together.

...

Dante had to move quickly otherwise the philosopher stone she'd worked to hard to create would be gone. Just as Alphonse clapped, she imitated also pressing her palms together. The room lit up with alchemy, making it impossible to see what happened but if her calculations had been right then this would work to her benefit. Of course she wasn't sure what the side effects could be. Perhaps she would loose the three homunculus still in the room. No matter, she could always create more. Or maybe the suit of armor would actually manage to get his brother back. Also not a problem for her, despite their childish belief of equivalent exchange, they were the only link she still had to her Hohenheim.

The light faded and she frowned at the outcome as she took in the scene before her. Rose was still there, seated on the ground with her back to the room. Probably in an attempt to protect her baby. Her presence meant Dante hadn't managed to take her body. Gritting her teeth, she realized she was still in her currently rotting flesh. Edward remained unmoved, on the floor and as for the suit of armor, he was seated next to him, surprisingly still. Glancing back, she noticed Envy had been thrown against the far wall and also wasn't getting up. Gluttony and Wrath were missing and the only conclusion she could come to was that they got caught up in the transmutation.

"Alphonse?" Dante heard Rose and glanced over to see that she was leaning over someone she didn't recognize but it was easy to conclude who it was. Al let out a quiet groan. Taking the room in once more, Dante finally looked down at herself and pulled her dress away from her chest some. Her skin was flawless with no sign of rotten flesh anywhere. It took her by surprise as she marveled at the sight. She pondered about this and concluded that it must have been due to the two homunculi that had been sacrificed as well as the stone's power. Before she could contemplate this any further, she felt light headed suddenly and dropped to her knees. For whatever reason she felt weak and couldn't remember the last time she felt this way. She turned to the blond still laying motionless nearby. Her gaze went wide as she noticed his metal fingers twitch at his side.

There was a sudden high pitched squeak as the main door opened. Two individuals poked their heads in to look around. Angrily, Dante cuss under her breath.

"Dammit. How many more people are going to show up."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two-Rebirth

One week later:

Alphonse stared out the window, looking at nothing in particular. Occasionally something would catch his eye like a dog chasing a car or children playing in the street. He had kept to himself for the most part. Rose had taken him to headquarters when they got out of Dante's, where they ran into his teacher. She had asked them where Edward was but she didn't get an answer. In fact she hadn't gotten much out of Alphonse on the train ride back to Dublith. He slept most of the way but when he was awake he said very little if anything at all. And she was certain something was terribly wrong when he wouldn't eat. Finally when they got back to her house and Al was in his room, Rose explained what she could to Izumi. Al just couldn't bring himself to talk about what happened. He wasn't all that sure himself but when he thought about it, he felt sick to his stomach.

From what he knew, his transmutation had completely back fired. He didn't save his brother, all he managed to do was bring his own body back. How things had gone so wrong he still couldn't wrap his mind around it. Maybe he just wasn't as skilled as Ed was and couldn't bring a soul back. Of course there where other factors he considered too. When Ed managed to bond his soul to that suit of armor, he was still alive, his body hadn't died first. But he had been almost positive the philosopher stone would make up the difference. Bringing his knees up to his chest, he brought his head down.

He had accepted death, even welcomed it, but for himself. Ed had sacrificed so much for him already. The idea that he had paid the ultimate sacrifice in an attempt to save him only made him feel worse. As much as he had wanted his body back for so long, now he hated everything he was feeling. Every ounce of guilt that came with this body felt like it was weighing him down when he considered what it cost. Breathing took so much effort. His sense of touch felt overwhelming after not feeling anything for so long and his emotions felt raw. And in the first time in a long time, he was capable of crying and the tears wouldn't come. As though he was beyond that point. This existence was a constant reminder of the fact that he was alone.

To top everything off. he must have slept too much in the past week because as much as he wanted to sleep now, it almost seemed impossible. He honestly wanted to stop feeling. Without Ed, he felt empty and he would take all the sleepless nights if his brother was alive. There was a knock on the door and Rose cracked it open.

"Al, are you hungry?" There was a sigh in response and she knew that was the only reaction he would give her. He'd barely eaten anything the last couple of days and she was starting to get really worried about him. As she got closer to the bed, he just seemed to close into himself even more. "I know you miss him but you can't just stop living because of what happened." A small noise escaped from Al's throat that sounded a lot like a whimper. He refused to look up at her, he didn't want to talk about this. And while his brother's reaction to this would have been to snap back, Alphonse preferred to be more passive aggressive. Besides he couldn't muster up the energy even if he wanted to. But if teacher knew enough to leave him alone, he wished Rose would too. He just needed time, and although he wasn't sure how much time, it hadn't been long enough for him to talk about it. Finally after so many minutes of awkward silence, Rose breathed out a sigh herself and exited the room.

...

"It's alright to just leave him alone. He'll come around eventually. You've just gotta let him mourn for now." Izumi was busy getting dinner ready while Rose set the table.

"I feel so bad for him though. I understand what he's going through but if he stays like this it'll only make things harder to accept."

"I know you just want to help him but there's really nothing any of us can do." Rose's baby was sitting on the floor playing with a wooden bowl and spoon. He giggled contently, bringing a smile to Izumi's face. It had been nice having Rose here with her child as well as Alphonse. The child's presence particularly lessened the pain she felt for the loss of her student. She had been with Ed earlier the same day that he died. She had no idea that it would be the last time she saw him. She understood how Al felt to some degree considering that when she thought about what happened it caused an ache in her chest. She found herself thinking about it too much now and shook her head in an attempt to brush the thoughts away.

"Aren't there other people we need to let know about this? Doesn't the military need to know or something." Izumi seemed to slam her knife down harder into the meat she was cutting.

"Like those dogs would even be concern, I'm sure they're all too busy starting the next war!" Rose smiled at her sudden vigor. They both seemed to equally dislike the military. Rose sighed quietly to herself as she placed the final plate on the table. "Has Al said anything to you about having a funeral?" Izumi placed her cutting utensil down conceding that her house guest was not going to drop this subject. It was obvious that just like so many other people that had come in contact with the Elrics, she really did care for the boys. But the idea of a funeral made all of this so real and final. Heaving a breath, Izumi could feel the sadness creeping in on her.

"No, he hasn't and I wouldn't bring it up right now. Just give him some time," Izumi reiterated.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three-Pain

The blond stood before the doorway once again. He stared up at it, almost wondering why he was here again. Shifting his gaze to the side, Edward noticed the bleakness surrounding him. He was trying to remember where he had been before this but for some reason he couldn't remember and concluded that it must not be very important. Dragging his amber gaze back to the gate in front of him, he was trying to decide what his next move would be. He tried to take a step forward but something unseen was stopping him. A random thought pushed to the fore front of his mind and he paused in his attempt to move. Tears stung his eyes as he realized what was missing.

"Al..."

...

Edward tossed his head to the side and let out a quiet moan. He felt soft fingers brush his hair out of his face. He didn't know where he was but he knew that he felt horrible. It was almost as if there was something heavy sitting on his chest and his limbs felt heavier then normal. Trying to think only seemed to make the headache he had even worst.

"It's gonna be okay," he heard a female voice say quietly into his ear. He shifted uncomfortably and turned away from the source of the voice. For whatever reason it irritated him. She seemed to be hovering too close. Finally concluding that she wasn't going to leave, he squinted up only to receive a smile in return. "You're finally awake. I was starting to worry," Dante said in a sweet tone. Edward took a second trying to take in his surroundings. The room was overly decorated and felt hot and stuffy. He tried to sit up only to realize it hurt too much to do so. Laying his head back down, he hissed at the sudden pain that seemed to be everywhere at once. His reaction brought a frown to Dante's face. "I'm sorry you're still hurting. I tried my best to heal as much of your injury as possible but it was pretty bad."

Bad was an understatement considering this particular injury had killed him. Dante had already argued with Envy about taking Ed with them when they left the underground city. He wanted to just run him through again but she had responded with a smack to his face. It had taken quite a bit of persuasion on her part to get Envy to go along with things and he was still giving her problems. At least when they had moved Edward, he had been unconscious, making things a little easier.

He continued to look around, confusion evident in his face. Dante was curious how much he remembered but it was hard to gauge at this point. He just seemed so off to her. Normally he was a force of energy, never stopping for a second but the fact that he was mostly aware of his surroundings and hadn't tried to even get away from her proved he wasn't entirely himself. Of course this could work to her benefit however she didn't want him too damaged.

"Al...," she frowned once she realized he could care less about her even being there. He was more concerned about his brother. Eventually his worried gaze met hers. "Where's Al?" There was no accusing tone in his voice, it was clear he was just scared for Alphonse' well being. Dante sighed, her frown becoming even deeper.

"I'm so sorry Edward, but Alphonse didn't make it."

"Wah...what?" He tried to get up again but it was still no use.

"There was nothing I could do, he tried to bring you back but for some reason it all back fired. I used the last of the stone to revive you." Ed wasn't mentally capable of processing all of this. He closed his eyes again and turned away from her, covering his face. He felt her hand on his backside and it brought no comfort. He curled away from her even more, sobbing quietly into the pillow. "I wish there was something I could do."

"Just leave me alone," Ed's voice came out a little above a whisper. Dante nodded and quietly left the room.

...

Heading downstairs, she made her way to the cellar. As she switched on the light, she crossed her arms and sneered at the only other person in the mansion.

"So have you learned your lesson yet? Mmm, Envy?" The homunculus glared back at her, pulling at his restrains.

"Well now that depends, are you going to let me kill him again?" She sighed to herself, shaking her head in disbelief.

"I guess not. It would be a shame if I had to destroy you. You are the last one left after all." Envy stopped trying to get free, a cocky grin still in place.

"And if you let me live, then what? You'll just have me running errands like a good little boy. It's not very fair to give me what I want and then take it back. You made us bring that Pipsqueak back with us and for what?"

"Despite how you feel, he is rather handy to have around. And besides, if you're so concerned about making him suffer, trust me he is. There are other things far more painful then death."

"I wish you'd just call it what it is. You have some sick infatuation with him." She narrowed her gaze, annoyed by his comment.

"Are you going to cooperate or do I need to end this?" The homunculus chuckled, knowing he'd bothered her but deep down he knew he would never act against her.

"Fine, fine. I'll behave."

"That's more like it." She clapped her hands together and his chains broke free.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's notes-Yeah more reviews, they seriously made me so happy. After I posted the second chapter I was like 'No ones reading this, you waited too long to write something from the first show. I actually think I like Ed's character better in the first one. You got to see a lot more of how he got to where he was as a character. Plus I feel that the relationships were more developed. So I am going to start making the chapters longer. The first three chapters I wanted to first let you know where we were starting from and then what was going with both Al and Ed. And I loved the feed back so far, thank you so much!

Chapter Four:Questions

Roy Mustang sorely walked back to his bed. He wasn't very good at sitting still but he knew if the nurse came in to see him up, she would be displeased with him. And he already knew that his charm didn't work on her. Happily married for thirty years with two grandchildren; he didn't stand a chance against that. It was clear that this wasn't the Military Hospital at Central Command, he could usually get away with quite a bit there. He figured his lieutenant brought him to this small clinic just in case he was viewed as a traitor for what happened at the Bradley estate. It was going to be hard finding out anything from the military now. He was kind of on the outside for the time being. There was a knock at the door and he visibly tensed up which only hurt his injured shoulder even more.

Riza quietly opened the door and entered with a bag of food. Roy sighed heavily to himself, rubbing his shoulder. The Lieutenant saw he was in pain and hurried over.

"I thought you were told to stay in bed." She helped him back under the covers.

"You're just as bad as that nurse." He leaned back on the pillow and made a face. She picked up the bag she brought in and pulled out an apple for him.

"But at least I bring you some decent food." She received a grim smile from him and returned the look. It was obvious he was miserable sitting here, not knowing what was going on outside. Riza handed him the apple and continued to pull things out of the bag. She also brought a loaf of bread and some soup. The last thing caught his eye as she lastly grabbed a newspaper from the bottom of the bag. "Thought you would want some news. At least it's something that'll keep you in bed."

"Thanks, I know you're putting yourself at risk coming to see me." Lt. Hawkeye shook her head and smiled ironically to herself.

"I was seen more then you were so I'm just as guilty of being there if not more. At least you managed to stay hidden for the most part."

"It won't take them long to figure out I wasn't up north though." The conversation made the air feel heavy in the room and it got quiet. Before it could settle for too long though there was another knock at the door. Riza instinctively went for her gun and Roy brought his hand up to stop her. "No one knows I'm here, just see who it is," he told her quietly. She still seemed uneasy but got up and cautiously answered the door. The elderly nurse was standing there, looking somewhat uneasy.

"I know that no one was suppose to come see him, but there are two visitors here."

"Are they from the military?"

"No, they said they're the Elric brothers." Riza raised an eyebrow at that and glanced down the hall. She followed the nurse out of the doorway, shutting the door. Roy couldn't help but wonder what was going on. The door was forced open again and two individuals were pushed in by the Lieutenant.

"You don't have to shove us," the older of the two said.

"They said they were the Elric brothers," Riza told Roy as she closed the door and pulled out her gun.

"Lieutenant, there's no reason for all that. So who are you two really?" Russell eyed the Lieutenant as she put her revolver away.

"We're friends of Edward and Alphonse. We were told if we needed to get a hold of anyone in the military you were the only one we could trust."

"So do you know where the Elrics are now?" There was an obvious hesitation in the conversation.

"Well we met up with Ed right before he went to rescue Al. He wanted to go alone. We waited for him to come back but after so long, we figured things didn't go as planned. But by the time we got there it was much worse then we thought."

"What happened?" Mustang's voice came out firm, edged with an annoyed irritation. The younger of the two practically jumped at his blunt question. He seemed to be hiding behind his older brother. Roy sucked in his next breath, trying to calm down. "Sorry, no one has heard from either one of them, we're just worried." That made what Russell had to say even more difficult. He swallowed before continuing.

"From what we saw, I'm afraid that Ed didn't make it. We helped a girl named Rose get out with Alphonse." This new information weighed heavy on Roy's shoulders. He wished he could have gone with Fullmetal but he had to take care of the Furer at the opportune moment. There was no way he could have helped him. Even so, this news was painful to hear.

"When you say didn't make it, you mean...," Riza was reluctant to ask the question, keeping her head down.

"He wasn't breathing when we got there. We didn't see any wound but there was a lot of blood." The Lieutenant put her hand up, unable to listen to any more.

"Then Alphonse is safe? Does he know about Ed?"

"I think so but there's something else you need to know about. Edward wasn't the one who told us to contact you." The sixteen year old pulled out a piece of paper. "This came from someone who told us to be in Central at the time Alphonse went missing. They also told us we could trust you."

"So who is this person and how does this change anything that you told me?"

"He said that he has to keep a low profile otherwise the same people who went after Ed and Al would go after him too. He also told us that Edward might not be dead."

"Is there any way to get a hold of this mysterious person?"

"That's actually why we came. He told us it was safe right now for you to get a hold of him but he said you have to call from a secure line, just in case." He placed the folded paper on the side table. Roy found himself smirking at the predicament.

"You still didn't tell us who you two are." The teen scratched the side of his head and actually smiled.

"Oh yeah, sorry. I'm Russell Trigham and this is my brother Fletcher." Roy was actually surprised that he recognized the name from one of Ed's many reports.

"I've heard of you from Fullmetal. I recommend you not go around using his name though. Especially in Central." Russell smiled back.

"Yeah, it only seems to give me problems." The Trighams excused themselves and left the room as quickly as they came in. Riza closed the door again and turned back to Mustang, concern evident on her face. Roy grabbed the paper and unfolded it, seeing a simple number scribbled down. He didn't recognize the writing or the number which made him all the more intrigued.

"Sir, how do we know we can trust this person?" Hawkeye kept her voice down as she gestured towards the paper.

"Guess we don't have much of a choice. If there's a chance that Fullmetal is still alive and needs our help, there's not much else we can do."


	5. Chapter 5

Author's notes- I like so much when people voice their opinions in their reviews. It's nice to know there are other fans that don't think the first show was an utter waste of time. If you compare the beginning of Brotherhood/ Manga to the first show, I don't think I would have liked Edward as much as a character if I had been introduced to him any other way. That also goes for Alphonse. That second scene in the desert was hilarious and one of Ed's more mouthier moments. He had some brilliant lines in the first show. Plus he and Al had some amazing 'sibling' moments too. All of us with siblings know how much we argue and over nothing no less. It was cute. :)

Chapter Five:Grief

The train ride was painfully silent. At the front of the car, a mother was busy hushing her crying baby while several school kids along with their teacher talked excitingly about their field trip to Rush Valley. Alphonse remain in the far back of the crowded car, keeping to himself. The seat across from him was empty making the space around him feel like it was closing in. He sucked in a particularly deep breath, trying not to think about what was missing. Doing his best to ignore the other passengers, he kept his attention towards the outside world as it past by.

There was nothing extremely interesting going on outside but it was somewhat serene in comparison to the chaos going on inside. For some reason it was soothing and he needed that. He didn't want to be in his own head right now. Lately he found it all too easy for his thoughts to wonder to the one thing he wished he could get off his mind. He had been over what happened multiple times and he still couldn't figure out where he'd gone wrong.

Trying desperately not to think about this again, the next worst thing came to mind. What was he going to tell Winry. By the end of this train ride, he would find himself at the residence of the Rockbells, having to face her. As much as he was trying to figure out what he would say, part of him knew he wouldn't have to say much. While being alone with his thoughts normally felt like an eternity, before he knew it, the train was coming to a halt at the Resembol station. Alphonse could feel his stomach tightening, making him all the more uncomfortable. Wearily he walked the same dirt road that he knew so well for so many years now.

The sun was starting to sink below the hills as the yellow familiar house came into view. He didn't want to be here. When he use to think about this reunion before he got his body back, he thought everyone would be ecstatic. Now though as he stepped up to the door, he knew it would be bittersweet without Ed there. His knock sounded weak as he stood up straight, trying to ignore the knot his stomach had managed to tie itself into. Granny Pinako was the one to answer the door, pipe in hand and Den right next to her. She stared up with her mouth hanging open as it clicked in her mind almost immediately who this stranger was.

"Alphonse? Is it really you?" Al nervously rubbed the back of his head, attempting to calm his nerves.

"Hey, Granny. I'm home." Despite old age, Pinako was always very sharp as she glanced behind him, looking for the other Elric. Where one was you usually could find the other. When she didn't see Ed there, she brought her gaze up to find evidence that his absence was not something planned. Al's young face held a worry beyond his years. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked some what thin through his cheek bones. Of course she would have normally assumed that had something with him getting his body back but there was something else in his expression. A silent grief that made it's presence known.

"Why don't you come on in, Al." She moved out of the way and didn't ask any questions, knowing that it could potentially break him at this point. He had made it all the way home after all and she knew that trip must have been difficult. "I'll make you some tea."

"Thank you, Granny." He followed her into the kitchen and took a seat.

"I'm sure the trip must have been long. If you're tired you're welcome to sleep in one of the extra bedrooms." Alphonse watched as Den sniffed his shoe as though the dog had to make sure he could be trusted.

"I might take you up on that later." He attempted a smile and received a worry look in response.

...

Winry had been busy all day in her shop. Ever since Sciezka had left, she really did have a lot to catch up on. She had heard her grandma talking with someone in the kitchen and wondered if it was one of their customers. Stretching her arms above her head and letting out a yawn, she decided she needed a break anyway. Stiffly, she got up from her stool, setting her screwdriver down. As she made her way down the stairs she heard Den barking.

"I guess he doesn't remember me," Al mentioned.

"Well it has been several years, He just has to get use to you, Al." This small part of the conversation caused Winry's heart to leap in her chest and she hurried the rest of the way into the kitchen.

"Al?" As she entered he turned and made eye contact with her. She immediately ran over and hugged him just as he stood from his seat.

"Winry," she had caught him off guard as he instinctively gave her a hug. She smiled back at him with tears stinging the corners of her eyes. She almost missed the fact that Ed wasn't there. Unfortunately Alphonse wasn't that lucky as she finally glanced around.

"Um, is Edward with you?" It was the question he had been dreading. The sorrow was so evident in his eyes that he barely opened his mouth before Winry took a step back from him.

"Winry, I'm...I'm sorry but Broth..." He found that the words got stuck in his throat and he tried to swallow. Winry's lower lip started to tremble and her knees started feeling weak. Finding the closest chair, she collapsed into it before standing was no longer an option.

"He's not coming back, is he?" She almost sounded like she had accepted it before he even got it all out. Now Alphonse was having a difficult time standing and sank to the floor in front of her. "I...I couldn't save him...I tried to but..." With no warning, he started crying. Quickly covering his face, he leaned against Winry's legs. She placed a hand on his head, her fingers gently moving through his hair. He hiccupped and sniffled before trying to speak again. "I didn't want this, I didn't want my body back if it meant loosing him...I'm sorry, Winry." As upset as Winry was, she had a difficult time crying in front of him. She didn't want to make things worse and he was already so upset.

This wave of emotion was almost unbearable for Al after so many years of not feeling anything. It could overcome him so easily if he let it.

"Al...it's okay. I'm sure you tried your best." He wanted to argue with her statement, wanted to tell her she was wrong and that he was the one that was suppose to die. As much as he wanted to speak up though, nothing would come out. Grief stole his ability to communicate properly. For whatever reason, whenever Winry tried to ease his guilt, it only seemed to make things worse. She glanced over at her grandma who sighed heavily.

"You should take him upstairs where he can lie down. I'm sure he's exhausted." Winry nodded and helped Al to his feet. He didn't even remember moving up the stairs but before he knew it, he was laying down and was quickly drifting in and out of consciousness.

Once Winry had him in bed, she quietly headed for her room, closing the door behind her. It wasn't long before her legs felt weak again and she dropped to her knees as the tears finally came. She covered her mouth, trying not to make any noise as she waled quietly for her loss. She would have to be strong for Al though, that much she was determined to do. But right now, in the secrecy of her room, she needed this moment of weakness.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six:Plans

"So as I understand from the news in Central, the Furer has in fact gone missing," Dante took a sip of her tea. Envy sat across from her, eyeing the cup in front of him as he wondered why she would bother giving him tea. It was almost an insult to a homunculus. Pushing it away, he crossed his arms and glanced out the window. It had been raining for the last several days and there were no signs of it stopping.

"Why are you even worried about Pride anyway? If he was killed then it just proves he was weak." Envy hadn't forgotten how Pride had treated him the last time he saw him. After all it was Envy who did all the grunt work for their little group. What did Pride do that was so important?

"And I suppose you thought the others were weak as well then?" Envy gave her a devious grin.

"Well I am the only one left. Guess you could call it survival of the fittest."

"Now that's not very fair, you don't even have any remains left to cause you harm." The homunculus shrugged back.

"It's not my fault I've been around for so long." Dante placed her cup down and sighed, which seemed oddly too human for her but Envy noticed her doing it more and more lately. He had noticed a couple of things changing actually now that he thought about it. The first thing was her sudden sympathy for Edward Elric. As much as he was hoping she had some devious plan behind taking him with them, he worried she was going to keep him like he was a pet or something. He honestly had a hard time believing that she only wanted him for his talent. If that was the case then there was no reason being nice to him. Just tell him to do what they wanted or they would harm his brother. But she even went as far as to tell him that his brother hadn't survived so there went that leverage. The only thing he could figured was she wanted to make him think he was alone in this world now and only had her. It was still going to be tough convincing him to do anything for them. He tended to be pretty stubborn.

The other thing he noticed was that she was dressing much simpler these days. No more fancy dresses which he never understood anyway. Even now she was dressed in a simple black long sleeve shirt and a plan grey skirt that went to the top of her knees. It almost seemed like she had accepted being human again. Before, the way she dressed and acted towards other people made it clear that she was above all of this. He concluded that he didn't really care about what his observations meant as long as it all didn't interfere with his fun. And speaking of that, he realized he was tired of this. Sitting around was becoming boring for the homunculus. He wanted to cause some damage and chaos. Not playing house.

...

It was almost like staring into a mirror. That is if he was taller and more handsome and probably several years older. But regardless of all that, there was no denying the similarities. Before Edward could even react, there was a sudden movement followed by excruciating pain. The next thing he could recall he was staring at the ceiling. There was an obvious lack of a heart beat. Or even breathing. He thought he could hear Alphonse but wasn't able to move to look for him. The suit of armor came into view and he gently reached down, touching the side of his brother's face. He knew what he was going to do but could do nothing to stop him.

'No, Al don't do it, please just forget about me.'

"...I bet Brother's soul is still there, I just have to bring it back,"

'Don't do it, Al,' Ed was screaming in his head, begging for him to stop. The armor brought his hands together and the room lit up with alchemy.

'Alphonse!'.

He bolted up in the bed, ignoring the pain that was accompanied with the movement. He inhaled deeply, heart pounding as though it was trying to leap out of his chest. Sweat drenched his whole body. All of this, a cruel reminder that he was alive and Al's life was the cost of that. He couldn't stay here, he wasn't sure why but something was pulling him away. Staying still for too long made him think too much and that was dangerous right now. If he thought too much about what he'd lost...he shook his head reminding himself he just couldn't dwell on it. It was too painful. Attempting to calm down, he glanced over to the window. Rain drops hit the glass as though they were trying to get in. Scooting to the end of the bed, Edward got up even though his legs felt shaky. Carefully he made it over to the window, his metal fingers clicked against the glass as his hand made contact. The dark weather outside only seem to reflect how he was feeling inside. Without Alphonse, what did he really have to live for? Why did Dante bother bringing him back? So he could live with his guilt? This aweful feeling that seemed to eat away at his soul and impossible to get away from. As if on cue, the clouds outside seemed to get even darker. Bringing his hand into a fist, he put too much pressure on the window and cracked the glass.

...

The damp weather seemed to make it colder inside the mansion. Dante had Envy start a fire in the fireplace as she lit several candles to give them some light. A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, followed by a loud clap of thunder. It caught her off guard and she gasp slightly in response. Envy arched an eyebrow at her and she chose to ignore his inquiring look.

"I'd better go check on Edward," she told him as she moved for the staircase. Even without looking back at him, she knew Envy was sneering at her concern. She really didn't care though. Making her way up the steps, she covered the candle she was holding to keep it from blowing out. She made it to the master bedroom where she had put her house guest. As she opened the door, there was a sudden gust of wind and her candle immediately went out.

"Envy," the homunculus heard her yelling for him. The thought of having to go upstairs seemed troublesome to him but he knew she wouldn't stop calling for him until he found out what she wanted. But he knew it had to do with Edward and if he already didn't care for the teen, all this coddling was just pissing him off more. He walked through the doorway with his irritation showing on his face.

"Now what?" Glancing around, it didn't take much for him to figure out why she needed him. And he knew he was going to hate her request even more. The window was broken, causing the curtains to sweep into the room. There was blood on the floor and shards of glass everywhere. Envy pondered a wonderful thought that would make all this trouble worth it. After all if the teen bled to death of his own accord out in the middle of nowhere in a thunder storm, then Envy couldn't be blamed for it. And it wasn't like Dante had a stone now to bring him back again.

"Envy," her voice pulled him from his thoughts and he clenched his teeth. "I want you to go after him."

"And what do I get in return?" The homunculus crossed his arms, knowing full well he was not looking forward to wondering around in the rain.

"If you have to rough him up a bit I don't care, just make sure you bring him back in one piece." Envy thought about it for a second longer and concluded he liked the idea of getting another opportunity to beat Ed up, even if he wasn't allowed to kill him again.

"Alright, fine."


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Notes-Ah the lemon warning...consider yourselves warned.

Chapter Seven:Feelings

Riza waited quietly out in the hallway for Roy. He had been cleared to leave and was all too glad to get out of this place. He was in desperate need of some decent food and an attractive waitress to serve it. Pulling on his jacket, he gathered his things from the table. Finally he came to the piece of paper he'd received from Russell. He hadn't called the number, still unsure of whether he wanted to find out who was on the other end of the line.

What if it was the mastermind behind everything and they were just toying with him? After everything he had witnessed lately, it was difficult to trust anyone. But considering how uneasy the Trigham brothers had been, they really didn't seem the type to set him up. They genuinely seemed scared, if not of him, definitely the lieutenant. It brought an amusing smile to his face. Deciding he just wanted to get out of here, he placed the paper in the breast pocket of his jacket. He still wasn't sure where he was going to go right now and wanted to get that figured out first. One thing at a time.

As he opened the door, Riza stood from her seat, posture perfect as she squared her shoulders. They were trying to be discreet, to not look so much like soldiers. But despite the fact that her hair was down and she was actually wearing a skirt, the lieutenant just couldn't help her training.

"Gee, I'm surprised you didn't salute me too," he mentioned with a sarcastic tone.

"There's nothing wrong with standing up straight, sir." He took the lead, walking down the hallway towards the exit.

"Just try to act casual. I don't want anyone suspecting anything. We've gotta blend in." Before he even made it two steps, he felt her arm wrap around his.

"Oh Dear, you're just being silly." She smiled back at him and let out a very feminine laugh. He'd never _ever_ seen her like this. In fact, he didn't know she was even capable of it. She noticed how he was looking at her and she pouted, staring up at him with big brown eyes. "What's the matter? I thought you like it when women need a big strong man." His shocked look dropped, replaced with an annoyed one now.

"You don't have to patronize me. We're not even out of the hospital yet."

"Sorry, sir. I'll try to contain myself." She dropped her tone back to normal but there was still the faintest hint of a grin on her face.

...

Alphonse seemed to be like a ghost in the Rockbell house. Occasionally he would come out of his room to get something to eat or go for a walk. Sometimes he would be gone for hours causing Winry to wonder where it was he went to for so long. There were days he was gone from morning till dusk. At some point, she even went out looking for him but he wasn't in the obvious places. At some point he'd been to his mother's grave due to the fresh flowers she found transmuted there. He wasn't at the riverside either. She hated how much he was suffering and was doing everything she could to give him his space. But the same grief attacking Al was also weighing heavy on her as well. There was so much she wanted to know. What had happened? How did Edward die? Did he suffer?

Actually she decided she didn't want to know the answer to the last question that past through her mind. Just the thought of Ed being hurt was enough to make her feel ill. For so many years she had wanted their relationship to become something more but once Al and he were wanted by the State, Edward seemed to just shut down. Through out their journey to get back what they lost, she had seen him push past a lot of pain. How he managed to grin at all during that time, she never could understand. But once the military was chasing them, it was like something changed. Of course she always thought there was more to it. The way he snapped at her about Hughes, he'd never done anything like that before. It was like he was distancing himself from her, as though he knew what was coming.

Winry looked up at the sky and realized it was definitely getting late now. The sun had already set hours ago before Winry got back to the house with Den. By this point, she was sure Al was back, anyway. Missing dinner would only bring him around sooner or later. The house was quiet as she came through the front door. Kicking her boots off, she watched as Den lazily headed upstairs. She was certain her grandma was already in bed. The silence of the house made her feel lonely and she decided it was time for bed for her too. As she made her way to her bedroom, she heard some noise in the bathroom and paused outside the door. There was no denying it and the sound caused her heart to ache even more.

Alphonse leaned over again, heaving one more time. Bringing the back of his hand against his mouth, he did his best to clean himself off. Being sick was not something he'd missed the last five years. Heading over to the sink, he turned on the faucet and leaned down for a drink. He had hoped that after enough time, he could move on with his life but things just seemed to get worse. It might have had to do with being back in Resembol. There were still too many memories here that made it hard to get past everything. Once he got cleaned up and brushed his teeth, he headed for his room. Laying down on his bed, he stared out the window at the stars. They always did look amazing out here. It was a calming scene and he realized that lately he needed that more in his life. He'd experienced too much chaos to last a life time and his mind associated it all with Ed.

Before he could muse any further about what he needed in his life right now, his eyelids started to feel heavy and he welcomed the much needed sleep. Even though he knew it could potentially be filled of painful memories.

...

Winry couldn't listen to it anymore. She woke up to the sound too many nights and she just couldn't ignore it any longer. Getting out of bed, she moved quickly towards Al's room. He was crying again. He probably didn't even realize he was doing it considering he was still asleep. Sitting on the edge of his bed, she gently touched his shoulder to wake him up.

"Alphonse? Please wake up." Seeing him so upset brought tears to her eyes and she quickly brushed them away before he could see them. He let out a gasp as his eyes shot opened and he inhaled sharply, trying to calm down. Winry's hand moved down to rub his back. Once he got his breathing under control, he glanced back at her, tears still streaming down his face.

"Winry?" He turned more, sitting up and scooting back away from her some. "Did I wake you up? I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to." She shook her head and forced a smile on her face.

"It's okay, Al. I wasn't sleeping much anyway." It got suddenly still as Al looked away, sniffling quietly. The silence seeped into the room, saturating everything. Winry didn't want to be the one to break it as she continued to sit there. Then, without warning it was as though the dam broke. At first Winry was shocked to hear it but once it was out there she knew she just needed to remain quiet.

"I miss him, Winry," he started, still drying his eyes. "I can't help it, I feel so empty without him around. It's like I'm drowning and every moment is like agony. I really have tried to move on but I don't know if I can." The silence entered the room again and Winry took this opportunity to try to comfort him.

"I know, Al. It's been really hard for all of us." He brought his gaze over to meet hers. She hadn't really gotten a good look at him. Although it was hard to tell now but she had pondered if Al was actually taller then Ed. Even being a year younger then him. His face had matured quite a bit and his shoulders had gotten pretty broad. She hadn't realized how much he'd grown up. He leaned forward on his one knee, bringing his hands up into his hair.

"What's the point of getting back my body if all I can feel is pain? Everything just hurts."

"Al, I know it's hard to believe now but things will get better." He turned some towards her, trying to see past the hair in his face. She moved forward to brush the soft locks out of his vision. A split second passed and he leaned over to her, taking hold of her hand. His eyes closed and his bottom lip brushed against hers. Winry's blue gaze went wide at the sudden change. A deep tint flushed his cheeks and he could only linger for another second or two before he pulled back. He released her hand awkwardly.

"I'm sorry...that was wrong." His voice came out in a shaky whisper. Winry didn't respond, still shocked by his actions. He seemed so embarrassed with what he did.

"Al, why did you do that?" Her tone was void of anger as she stayed close to him.

"Guess I thought it might be nice." She mused over it for another second before answering.

"And?" She tilted her head some, causing her hair to fall over her shoulders. Al glanced back at her before bringing his hand up again to touch her face. Before he knew what he was doing, he moved forward again, this time kissing her even harder then before. At first Winry was somewhat hesitant only to quickly forget anything that was holding her back. The two of them wrapped their arms around each other as the kiss deepened. The ache in Al's heart seemed to lessen as his fingers got tangled in her hair and he decided he wanted more. His other hand roamed to places that Winry wasn't use to being touched. She could have stopped him but as much as she was caught off guard she suddenly realized something.

She needed this too.

Author's note-okay maybe lemoney is a better term.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's notes-Alright, alright, I know last chapter was technically a lime. I was going to go full blown lemon but decided I just have too much respect for Al. It would just be weird. But there will be a lemon in here at some point, if I have anything to say about it. Now onto the next chapter.

Chapter Eight:Caught

Edward wanted to disappear into the darkness. To no longer exist. Stumbling around in the thick forest that surrounded the mansion in the rain proved to be pretty difficult. It made it hard to just disappear. As he realized this, his foot hit a root and he fell into the mud. The dirty water seeped into his clothes and skin. It stung the deep cuts on his arm and face. He hadn't been very careful when he snuck out the window and had managed to get scratched up pretty badly. He found it hard to care about his own well being lately though.

Down here in the mud it was easy to just remain there but for whatever reason he pushed himself back up. He made it several more feet only to smack into a tree. It angered him, making him feel like the forest was closing in to keep him from getting away. Part of him wasn't even sure why he was so determined to get away but the logical part of his mind that he'd ignored for several weeks now warned him to get away from Dante. That she was only going to use him to get what she wanted. That was the kind of person she was. She hadn't saved him for any reason that benefited him. Taking a step back, he moved around the obstacle, slamming into another tree shortly after. Angrily he brought his metal fist up, slamming it against the trunk. It felt good to punch something and he did it again. And again. And again until he didn't have the strength to. As the exhaustion settled in he found his frustration brought tears to his eyes.

'Why couldn't I save him? What else could I have done?' He brought his head against the base of the tree, his wet hair clinging to his neck. A sob pushed from him lungs and he didn't have any desire to stop it. He'd lost the one thing that meant the most to him in the world. What was there to live for anymore? He had nothing now. He knew he could always go back to Resembol but the idea of showing up without Al just seemed unbearable. Even though he could tell he needed an upgrade on his automail. His steps had become obviously uneven to him. It was hard not to notice the strain on his joints with every step. Central was out since he was probably still a person of interest for what happened in Lior. Dublith was an option but he didn't really know if his teacher would even be there.

"So this is where you went. You got further then I expected." Edward turned to see Envy standing nearby. A streak of lightning illuminated everything for a few seconds before plunging them into the dark again.

"Envy," Edward spat the homunculi's name through gritted teeth as he turned completely around.

"Yeah, it's me. So why don't you quit being so dramatic about things and come back nicely." The alchemist clapped his hands, transmuting his arm.

"I've got some payback I owe you!" Envy grinned to himself at the reaction he got.

"Well I can't say I didn't try to resolve this diplomatically." Ed didn't give him the chance to come at him first as he charge forward. Envy stepped out of the way, swiftly kneeing Ed in the stomach. He recovered quickly, swinging his leg around to nail the homunculus in the head. Envy ducked and as soon as he had an opening, brought his fist up to punch Edward in the face. He stumbled backwards just enough to avoid the impact. Edward pushed forward again slashing with his blade. The edge made contact with Envy's chest, slicing through his clothing and skin. Ed brought his arm back the other way, barely cutting into his stomach. Red electricity sparked across the injured flesh, knitting it back together leaving no evidence behind. The homunculus grinned back as his wounds resealed. "You still think you can kill me? I thought you knew better then that by now."

Edward's metal foot made contact with the side of Envy's head. The kick was hard enough to throw him off his feet to the ground.

"You're right but it doesn't mean you don't feel pain!" Envy rolled onto his back about to get up when Ed's full weight landed on him and the blade was pushed through his chest hard. Envy let out a yelp as blood rose in his throat, cutting off his airway. The crimson liquid spilt over his chin and down his neck. He made a gurgled sound as Ed pushed his weapon in further. "What's the matter? No cheap shots this time? Hurts like hell doesn't it?" Envy's mouth pulled into an evil smile as he pushed himself up against the metal protruding from his chest, pushing it further into himself.

"Actually it kind of tickles." He licked the blood from the corner of his mouth before grabbed hold of the wider part of the blade. Snapping it off at Ed's wrist, he yanked it out of his chest. Ed's amber gaze went wide, shocked that he'd do something like that. Envy transformed his right arm into a spike and brought it up, ramming it under Edward's right arm, where the automail met his port. Ed let out a painful sound through his teeth as his vision blurred from the excruciating pain. "She told me not to kill you this time, but that doesn't mean I have to go easy on you." There was a sudden movement on the alchemist's side as he swung his left fist into Envy's face, this time making contact. He nailed a second punch as well but it didn't seem hurt him at all. "You finished yet?" He twisted the spike in more, causing Ed to let out another cry of pain. Blood and what looked like black oil ran down the object impaling his side. Sucking in his next breath, the alchemist brought both feet forward and pushed off of Envy, forcing the pike out. He clapped his hands together and dropped to the ground.

The alchemy came to life as a large cannon pushed unnaturally from the dirt. A sharp object was launched at Envy just as he got to his feet. It threw him backwards and hit a tree behind him, stabbing through his midsection and trapping him against the tree's base. He let out a weak laugh as he brought his head up.

"If you had tried this hard back then, you might have been able to save your brother." The blond ran at him full force now, leaping up and bringing his metal foot forward. Envy tossed his head to the side, avoiding the sole of Ed's boot. His violet eyes gleamed in the darkness as his smirk fell into a serious expression. "I guess you didn't care about him as much as you thought."

"Shut up! Don't think for a second that you know anything about me!" Angry tears threatened to escape his eyes but he held them back.

"Oh but you're Hohenheim's brat so why wouldn't you just abandon family like it was nothing." That comment earned the homunculus the back side of Ed's hand.

"You don't know anything! I'm nothing like him!" He brought his left arm over to his right side, hoping that some pressure would ease the pain. It didn't. He straightened up as much as possible, despite the ache. Unfortunately he was just close enough so when Envy brought his foot up, it landed a blow under his chin, knocking him to the ground again. Envy then went to work pushing back the object holding him captive. He managed to get free and leaned over Ed who seemed to be debating whether he wanted to get back up again.

"If it wasn't true then it wouldn't bother you so much." That snide remark earned him a glare in return.

"You're gonna pay for _everything_ you've done. For what you did to me...and Al. I'm going to make you wish you could die," Edward seethed as he forced himself back up, his arms feeling heavy. Between the fight and this weather he was starting to feel worn out.

"Somehow I don't think that's going to happen." The response came quickly as Ed prepared to strike again. Envy didn't have to do much to stop him, as he side stepped just enough to avoid the attack. Bringing his arm up, he grabbed Edward by the throat. He brought the blond closer to his face, grinning like a maniac. "That hot head of yours is gonna get you into some serious trouble." Ed struggled, grabbing at the vice grip Envy had on his neck. He was starting to feel light headed and tried to hit the homunculus in the arm as hard as possible. Unfortunately he didn't have the strength left to do any more damage and before long, he passed out from lack of oxygen. Envy lazily dropped him to the ground, still smiling to himself. Stretching his arms over head, he cracked his neck and let out a yawn. Wearily he leaned down and hoisted the unconscious teen onto his shoulder and headed back to the mansion.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine:Guilt

It was the first time waking up didn't feel so empty. The first peaceful morning that Alphonse didn't feel so alone. But it was accompanied with something just as bad. Guilt. The warmth next to him snuggled closer as Winry buried her face against his side. At first he wasn't quite sure what had happened the night before and then it all suddenly came back clearly. He couldn't just lay here any longer as he sat up, covering his face. The movement woke Winry up as well and she wondered what was bothering him.

"Al? Are you alright?" He glanced back at her, panic evident in his expression.

"What did we do last night," He asked it as though he was ashamed of himself. For whatever reason she felt like she needed to defend their actions.

"We didn't do anything wrong." She calmly placed a hand on his back. He didn't acknowledge the touch or even glance back at her.

"But, I always thought that, well...it's just I thought you and Brother, eventually..."

"Al, I waited for eventually to happen for a long time and it never did." The statement sounded aweful once it left her mouth. She dropped her gaze, trying to think of a way to explain this to him that didn't make Edward look bad. "He just never came around to the idea." Alphonse finally looked over at her.

"But I know he liked you." She blinked in shock when he said that. "He did. I know he tried to act like he didn't, but he couldn't hide it from me." Winry sighed heavily before replying.

"He _never _said anything to me. All we ever did was argue and then he yelled at me..." Al tilted his head down, hiding his expression from her again.

"You don't know what he dreamt about though. I know he just wanted to stay focus on getting our bodies back, but it was pretty obvious to me." Winry wasn't sure what to say back to him. Anything that came to mind would just hurt him more.

"So are you saying it wasn't nice?" He jerked his head back to face her.

"No, I'm not saying that at all. I just feel like I betrayed him for some reason." Winry quietly placed her hand over his, looking into his eyes.

"Al, you didn't do anything wrong. You know as well as I do that Edward wouldn't want you to be so miserable now that you have your body back."

"Yeah, I know but for whatever reason it just seems wrong." Now Winry was feeling bad about last night too. At the time it seemed like something they both needed and neither one of them was hesitant about it last night. If she had known that it would bother him so much now then she probably wouldn't have come to his room. Without another word, he scooted to the edge of the bed and leaned down to find his boxers.

"It's not that I didn't like it, Winry. Please don't think that. I just don't know if it's been long enough for me yet."

"Al, it's been almost a month now. How long do you have to wait before living your life again?" Winry had to be careful that she didn't sound upset with him.

"I don't know. I'm sorry I wish I could tell you but I can't." Going for his bathrobe, he put it on and left the room abruptly. Winry had a bad feeling that he was going to be sick again. It had been happening more frequently lately and she was certain how he felt about last night would only make things worse.

...

General Mustang tapped his finger against the glass booth impatiently as he listened to the phone ringing on the other end of the line. It was later in the day and it had already been difficult avoiding the military police through out Central. Ducking into alleyways and behind trashcans was not something he did on a regular basis. Riza had left to check on some things at Central Command for him and they would meet up later for dinner. He wasn't sure how long he was going to stay in Central as it was. One wrong move and he could find himself in jail.

All of these little details were causing his stomach to twist in an uncomfortable manner. He gripped the receiver tighter in his hand as the other line finally picked up after several rings. He was hoping he would recognize the voice but didn't.

"I was expecting you to call me a lot sooner then now," the man on the other end stated in a low tone.

"I've been preoccupied. I understand that you have some information for me."

"It's more like I'm in need of your help with something."

"So why should I help you? What's in it for me?" There was a low chuckle on the other end and it sounded like the individual was covering the receiver with his hand.

"I forgot how paranoid you always are. I've missed it. Anyway, here's what you need to do. At the train station you need to talk with Sharon at the ticket booth. Tell her you're picking up an envelope for Roy. In the envelope you'll find two tickets, one for Southern Command."

"Why am I going down to Southern Command? I thought this had to do with Fullmetal's disappearance?"

"I can't give you all the information at once. Just make sure you take the 8:15 train and go alone. Lt. Hawkeye needs to stay behind."

"Is there any reason she can't come along?"

"She is not needed on this trip. Once you get to Southern Command, you then need to catch the 6:30 train heading for Jasper. Once you get there, you need to wait at the station. You're contact will meet you there. If for any reason you think you're being followed, you need to figure out how to loose them on your own. I won't be able to help you out." An ironic smirk tugged at Roy's mouth.

"Any chance you plan on telling me who you are or who I'm suppose to be looking for at the station in Jasper?"

"You'll know em when you see em." Without another word, the line went dead. He hung the receiver up, scratching his chin. For whatever reason, he'd honestly thought he was going to get more out of this lead but thinking about the conversation he was just part of, he didn't seem to get much of a chance to ask a lot of questions. And without any answers, he still felt cautious about this whole thing. And he knew Hawkeye was not going to be happy letting him go by himself. Once the streets were clear, he exited the phone booth and headed back to his hotel. He realized that the thought of having to be at the train station tomorrow morning so early seemed annoying to him. He'd gotten used to the past several of weeks where he got to sleep in till the nurse woke him up to eat or change his bandages.

Glancing around the streets, he noticed it was oddly quiet right now. He really wasn't used to seeing Central like this. It was nice. Almost like the calm before a storm. The thought made him grimace, knowing that as soon as he told the lieutenant she wasn't going to be accompanying him on this trip, he was probably going to get an ear full. As he reached to hotel the two of them were staying at, he gulped at the thought of her reaction. She would not be happy about this at all. But then there really wasn't anything he could do either.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten:Comfort

Dante's expression revealed how displeased she was. Despite that though, Envy continued to grin at his accomplishment. Water dripped from his hair and clothing as well as the unconscious blond flung so carelessly over his shoulder. It was no use to scold him though, never had been so Dante just closed her eyes and shook her head in disbelief.

"Just put him back upstairs and be nice about it." His smile shifted into a frown.

"Well you're not much fun. You said I could rough him up a bit."

"Yes but I never said you had to knock him out."

"He's more of a handful then you think." It was clear she wasn't going to listen to him so he trudged towards the stairway. The whole way up he wondered what was wrong with his boss. She was being...nice and he didn't like it. If this kept up she would more then likely ruin some of his fun in the near future. She was already getting on his last nerve the way she was obsessing over Edward. Kicking the door open to the master bedroom, the homunculus dropped the alchemist on the bed, making sure he wasn't gentle about it. The blond let out a soft groan as he landed on the mattress. Envy straightened, glaring down. He hated the sight of him. Just the fact that he was still breathing boiled Envy's blood. Deciding he couldn't stand it anymore, he sulked off, slamming the door behind him.

...

Something wet rubbed against Edward's cheek. It felt nice and warm compared to how cold the rest of him felt. The soft texture was pulled away only to return to his forehead. He hissed slightly as the cut on his head stung from the contact. Eventually the pain dulled and he settled some. A bandage was placed on his forehead followed by one on his cheek.

"You really did make a mess of yourself, you know. Especially your face." Dante was sitting a little too close as far as Edward was concerned. There was the sound of water dripping as she rung the cloth out. She preceded to clean the dried mud off his neck and arm. He suddenly became aware of himself and opened his eyes. He was centered on the bed just like before, only now his arms were stretched uncomfortably on either side of his head. He noticed his right arm was restrained to the headboard by a metal rod going through his wrist joint. Pulling on his real arm, he was somewhat relieved to see it was just held in place by a simple rope. So alchemy was out of the question. He eventually made eye contact with Dante, narrowing his gaze. His deadly look just seemed to bounce off her as she continued with her task. "This isn't such a bad set up, Edward. I don't know why you would want to leave." Her statement made him almost want to laugh but he knew the humor was wasted on her. So instead of laughing, he just dropped his head to the other side, obviously annoyed. "Where else is there for you to go? You're still wanted by the military because of Lior." That statement got his attention and he snapped back.

"That was your fault. I didn't have anything to do with it. You manipulated the whole thing."

"No one else knows that though." She finished cleaning off his arm and moved to cleaning off the black sludge from his automail. "You're not being fair to me, Edward. I went through so much to save you and I was hoping we could reconcile things between us."

"Not gonna happen. You're the reason Als' gone. Everything that has happened is because of you." She finished cleaning him up, brushing a stray hair away from his face. He jerked his head to the side, trying to avoid her as much as possible. She smirked at his reaction.

"I'm glad you think so highly of me."

"You let Envy _kill_ me! You were gonna use my brother so that you could live forever. And you honestly think we're just gonna what? Have tea? Start a meaningful relationship? Where exactly did you think this was going to happen?" She leaned closer to his face.

"You should be very careful Edward. You already know what I'm capable of. If there is still anyone left that you value, I recommend you start behaving." She noticed him swallow his concern only confirming that the threat held some gravity. "So there is still someone. You're so bad about hiding things."

Ed brought his eyes to the ceiling as though it would bring him some patience. He wasn't allowed to ignore her for long though as he felt her hand on his chest. "I'm just trying to help you get past everything that happened." Her voice came out in a sweet tone but he knew better to actually believe the facade.

"I don't need you're help. You're the reason for all of this," His words seethed through his teeth. He never was good at keeping his opinion to himself.

"But I can change can't I. I'm really not that bad if you give me a chance. And despite what you think, I really do care about you." Her words didn't keep him from glaring at her.

"Yeah, I bet and I'm sure you don't want me to help you the next time you need a philosopher's stone."

"I guess I'll have to just show you how nice I can be." As she spoke her fingertips slide lower down his chest to his stomach, her nails lightly raking across his tanned skin. Ed pulled at his arms, hoping it was easier to get loose then it actually was. But it was no use. Her hand slid down until it stopped on top of the sheets at his waist. He shifted uncomfortably but it was impossible to move away from her. "You don't have to worry, I'm not gonna hurt you." Her hand disappeared under the sheet and Ed cringed, letting out a high pitched sound. She smiled at his reaction, leaning closer to him as crimson stained his cheeks. "Aw,you're not use to this kind of attention are you? All that big talk and now you don't have much to say, do you?"

"Sss..stop it." There was no chance his demand sounded as forceful as he hoped it would.

"Why so shy, Edward? There's nothing to be embarrassed about." He brought his legs together but it didn't make much of a difference. She was enjoying this moment of control, it was the first time she'd seen him so nervous and unsure. "Oh I get it. You've never had..."

"Get off of me!" He snapped, trying to turn his hips away from her.

"You don't really mean that, do you?" The tips of her fingers grazed untouched skin that caused him to slam his eyes shut and bite his lower lip as though he was distracting himself. Her hand went even lower, caressing and kneading sensitive flesh. Despite his sudden frustration though, his body was responding in a way he didn't want it to. "Mmm, at least your body's being honest."

"Th...thhat's nottt fair," His statement came out in a moan by accident.

"What's the matter, Edward. I just want to make you feel good?" He shook his head almost in a panicked manner.

"I don't want this from _you!_"

"Then I guess there really is someone else you care about."

"Th..that's got nothin to do with this." He shut his mouth quickly, realizing he gave more away then he wanted to.

"So there is someone else isn't there? I wonder who she is, mmm? Maybe Rose?" She paused, waiting to see if he'd respond. "No, I offered her to you before and you didn't take the bait. There's someone else."

"No, there isn't, I just don't want to do this with you. It's not gonna change anything." She removed her hand causing him to breathe in relief even if it was short lived as she straddled his waist. He brought his amber gaze up to her, almost in a pleading manner. He really _didn't_ want this. Dante pursed her lips together, amused by his dilemma. Leaning forward her mouth brushed against his ear.

"It's okay, I know how to make it all better." And with that said, she started removing her clothing, making the blond under her squirm more. "See how beautiful my body is now?" Edward slammed his eyes closed again, trying desperately to calm down. He suddenly bucked upwards, trying to get her off. "It's not time for that yet. We'll take things slow, since you've never done this before." She leaned her entire body against his which only caused him to thrash even more.

"Get off! Just leave me alone!" His words caused her to sit up suddenly and slapped his face. He glared angrily but she looked equally annoyed by now.

"Behave, Edward. Otherwise I'll have to have Envy hold you down." As much as he didn't like the situation, that threat caused him to stop resisting. She smiled again and proceeded. "Good boy. Now let me enjoy you. I promise you'll like it when I'm done."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven:Sick

Alphonse had been in bed for several days now with a fever. He wasn't up for eating much and what little he managed to keep down, he lost pretty quickly. Pinako had already called a doctor but he had told them it was just the flu. Winry knew it was more then that though. To some degree, she knew he was blaming himself for what happened to Edward. This was the only way he could deal with it and no one was going to tell him otherwise. This was the toll of all his guilt. Getting lost in her thoughts, she was pulled back to reality as Al touched her hand.

"Winry?" He stared up at her through a feverish haze, a faint smile tugging at his mouth. There were tears in her eyes but not from seeing him so sick. She had pushed the feeling down to where it couldn't affect her like this but after what happened between them the other night, that feeling was demanding her attention. But wishing that Edward was here did them no good. She knew if he was here, Al would not be sick and he wouldn't be beating himself up so much. "Are you okay?" Turning away, she cleared her vision, shoving that feeling back down where it needed to stay before leaning down and kissing Al's forehead. He was still burning up. Picking up the glass of water from the bed side table, she helped him sit up.

"I'm fine, Al. I just want you to feel better."

"I...I know. Sorry for giving you so much trouble."

"Don't worry about it, it's no trouble." She placed a cold wash cloth on his head. "I'll bring you some soup later, okay?" Al hated admitting it to himself but the sound of food was aweful right now.

"Oo...okay." The short conversation wore him out and he settled more under the covers. "Thanks...Winry." He closed his eyes and was sleeping in no time. At least he was able to sleep through this. Winry sighed as she pulled the blanket up higher to his chin before leaving the room. She wished he didn't blame himself to the point that it made him so sick. Maybe he just needed some kind of closure. And if she still had so many questions about what happened then that made some sense to her. But what was it that Alphonse needed? She didn't know and wasn't going to ask him. All this thinking was making her frustrated and she needed to get her mind off of everything going on. Closing the door, she headed down the hallway. Taking a seat, she stared down at the arm she was still trying to finish. She tried to clear her thoughts to focus on work but just like every other time she decided to work on it, the motivation just wasn't there. The owner of this particular arm wasn't in need of it anymore. She knew she should finish it anyway, maybe give it to someone else who could use it. This was suppose to distract her but the longer she stared at her work, that same feeling started creeping back from where she had shoved it last time. At least here, no one could see her break. Here, she didn't have to worry about making Alphonse feel worse then he did. Here, she didn't have to be strong for anyone else. Here, she could cry as much as she wanted. This entire mess had revealed way too much to her and although she didn't want to admit some things, one thing was so obvious.

She missed Edward.

The fact was screaming through her head as if it was trying to convince her of what she already knew. Now the tears wouldn't stop. She had tried to fill this empty place where Ed once was with anything else but it was no use. There was so much she still wanted to tell him. There were so many people that wanted to see both of the Elrics achieve their goal but no one thought it would cost so much. The way things were now left an emptiness for those who were close to Edward. Leaning over the unfinished arm, Winry let out a soft sob as she covered her face. She thought about the last time she saw him before they left for Central. At the time she knew for whatever reason that she was not going to see him again. She knew what danger awaited them and still she watched them leave. With so much unresolved, how could any of them expect to move on?

...

Roy stood silently alone on the platform. He was loosing his patience rather quickly since he'd been here for well over an hour. Jasper was a tiny speck of a town anyway and frankly if he wasn't told to come here, there was a good chance he never would have. He watched as people past him, boarding the train, others getting off and leaving the station while some would remain waiting, just like he was. Of course they all left before he did in the end and soon he was one of the only people left. He didn't like this. As a soldier he always made it a point to notice his surroundings and there was a definite feeling in the air that told him he was being watched. His gloves were close by and he placed his hands in his pockets, gripping the ignition cloth just in case.

The sun disappeared behind the mountain range in the distance and the street lamps started to come on. Letting out a sigh, he dropped his shoulders and headed to the closest bench to have a seat.

"Why does this feel like a complete waste of time?" Leaning his head back, he stared up at the darkened sky. This was boring and if whoever he was suppose to meet didn't get there soon, he was going to fall asleep. Luckily he didn't have to wait much longer as someone leaned overhead, blocking his view. He was quick to get up, turning back to the person standing over him. It was hard to see the man's face due to the high collar on his jacket and his long dark bangs hanging in his eyes. "Are you the one whose suppose to meet me here?" Roy felt a little unprepared and hated being caught off guard. The man in front of him appeared to be holding back a laugh which only frustrated the Flame Alchemist even more.

"Are you sure you weren't followed?"

"Huh?" The question threw him off even more. "Of course not. Most of the military still thinks I'm up north."

"You can never be too careful." The stranger kept his voice low, keeping a safe distance between the two of them.

"So are you going to tell me what this is all about? Like what this all has to do with Fullmetal?"

"You certainly are nosy aren't you. Not really surprising though. Edward needs our help and frankly I needed an alchemist I could trust to help with this." Roy raised an eyebrow and felt he was missing some key information.

"Why are you so interested in helping him out anyway? And how do you know I'm so trustworthy?" Finally the man stepped closer under the street light. Despite how much his hair was unkept and seemed to be blocking his vision, there was no denying the man's identity now. Roy was positive that his expression was one of complete shock but it was like seeing a ghost. Maes Hughes tilted his head slightly, giving his old friend his typical smirk.

"I have my ways. It's been awhile, Roy."

Author's Notes-Now where are my reviews, darn it. I know I've been slacking but come on.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve: Surprises

It was still raining but not nearly as bad as earlier that week. Normally the sound was calming and peaceful, lulling Edward to sleep. Even when he was busy getting ready for the state alchemy exam or in the middle of researching the Philosopher Stone, the sound of it could always convince him to doze off. There had been more times then he cared to admit where Alphonse had found him asleep in the Central library with his face still in a book. But now the rain couldn't convince him to close his eyes and take a break from his pointless reality if his life depended on it.

It would have been nice to get away from this place, even if it was temporary. But if he actually allowed himself to be that relaxed then that meant he had accepted this and he would never let himself do that. That was what Dante wanted from him, to be comfortable here and admit this was normal from now on. Irritated, he glanced over at the woman sleeping against him. He hated everything about her. It was true that over the years he had grown synical from everything that had happened, of course he always had hope to get Al's body back. That had been a driving force, no matter how bleak things got, he always had that hope. But occasionally he also had hope that when that day came, they could look forward to a normal life. Maybe get to travel for fun and not necessity. Quit the military and never be thrown into another dangerous situation again. Maybe even go back to school, although he knew he was way too far ahead of kids his age. Even possibly get a girlfriend. The things normal teenagers did. But he had already accepted that since he lost Alphonse none of that normal life mattered anymore.

Any resemblance he had left of normalcy, Dante had destroyed by what she forced him to do. He couldn't say he didn't like it, unfortunately but sex was something he wanted to have with someone that he loved. Someone that mattered. Now it was tainted just like him. There was almost nothing more she could take from him. He didn't have anything left. How depraved was she that she would not only take away his only family and his freedom but now his virginity too. He would inwardly admit that it wasn't that big of a deal to him. He had never prided himself in waiting, it just wasn't ever a priority for him. But now that it was gone or rather taken from him against his will, it bothered him. He shifted his automail arm which was still impaled. The movement sent a shot of pain through the port to his nerves. Envy had done more damage to it then Dante had. It wasn't gonna do him much good now. He'd lost feeling in his real arm a long time ago from it being held over his head at such an uncomfortable angle. Twisting his wrist some, he tried to slip his hand through the rope.

Dante stirred in her sleep, bringing her arm up on his chest. He rolled his eyes and kept wrenching his wrist. Somehow he managed to get the knots loose enough to slip his hand out. Shaking the pins and needles out of his arm, he brought his hand over to press his palms together. Alchemy lit up, releasing his metal arm as well. It dropped to the bed with a thunk. He tried to move it but it had taken too much damage and was dead weight now. Sliding out from under Dante's hold on him, Edward moved as quickly as possible. He located his pants, tank top and shoes on a chair near the door. It was difficult to get dress with just one functioning arm but he had little options at the moment. Just as he headed for the door, there was a knock on the other side before the handle started to turn. As the door opened, Ed didn't know what to do as he glanced around for anything that could be used as a weapon. He was out of time as Envy came in.

"Hey Boss, you gonna..." the homunculus noticed that the bed only held one occupant and turned just in time to see the metal arm come down, making contact with his face. Ed had a hard time not smiling at the sight of Envy lying on the floor, holding his face in pain. As much as he hated missing an opportunity to mouth off and was frankly overdue for it, he hurried out into the hallway. Dante woke up to see Envy still on the floor and the bed empty.

"Envy, stop him." He let out a growl in response before taking off down the hallway after Ed. He hadn't made it too far as Envy caught sight of him at the bottom of the stairs. The homunculus leaped down the stairway quicker then Edward anticipated, landing a kick to his backside. He went down hard and didn't have enough time to right himself. Ed tried to kick back but Envy stepped on his automail leg, keeping him down. There was the soft clicking of heels coming down the stairs towards them. "Edward, you just don't know when to give up, do you?" Dante made it over to him, leaning over as she tied her bathrobe closed. "You'll never be able to beat Envy. It's just not possible." Her statement caused Envy to grin in response. Edward tried to move his metal arm but it was no use. "Unfortunately since you keep trying to get away, I'm going to have to punish you." Shaking her head she turned back to Envy before leaving. "I don't want to worry about him doing any alchemy. Tie him up in the basement and don't hurt him too much." The homunculus grinned back, showing he liked his orders.

...

"So how do I know it's really you and not a trick? Edward told me about a homunculus that could change it's form to any person," Mustang remained suspicious, not wanting to get his hopes up. It was difficult to believe after so long that Maes was never dead. How had his friend gone so long without communication with his family and gushing about them over the phone to him and anyone else who would listen? Maes let out an annoyed sigh, slouching his shoulders.

"You're not _really_ gonna make me prove who I am are you?"

"I saw them put you in the ground, I was at your funeral. It doesn't make any sense. Does anyone else even know you're still alive?"

"Gracia actually knows but she's the only one. I've been hiding ever since that attempt on my life. I'm just lucky that homunculi have bad aim." Now that Roy thought about it, he hadn't actually seen a body or even any kind of autopsy report. And Gracia always seemed to be handling Maes' death pretty well but he just figured she was being strong for Elicia. Maes scratched his chin, trying to think of how he could prove his identity.

"Mmm, let see. I could always name off most of the women you slept with, or when Elicia's birthday is which ironically is the same as Ed's. Or how many love letters Gracia wrote me when we were dating. And then there's the fact that I finally out rank you," he smiled at the last statement.

"You know they take that back if they find out you're alive, right?"

"What? Seriously? That was one of the few perks in all of this. I was totally going to rub your face in that."

"Yeah well the Furer just promoted me to General right before he went missing."

"Don't you mean before you took him down? I might have been in hiding but I still have a good idea of what's going on." Roy shook his head in disbelief. He felt like he needed to sit down.

"This is a lot to take in right now." He ran his hand over his face.

"Aren't you at least happy to see me?"

"Yeah, it's just a bit of a shock."

"We should get going, there's still a chance that you were followed. I've got a lot to go over with you." Maes glanced around, making sure no one was around them.

"So this is about Fullmetal right? There's a rumor going around that he's dead too." Hughes turned back, smiling knowingly.

"You don't have to worry, he's not dead but he's gonna need our help."

Author's note: Reviews!


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen:Schemes

It had been two more days and Alphonse seemed to be doing a little better, although he wasn't up for much conversation yet. It had gotten pretty serious for awhile and Winry was worried that they were going to have to bring him to the hospital. His fever had spiked pretty high and it had taken all of Winry and Pinako's medical experience to keep it from getting past 103 degrees. This had been the first day he was able to eat anything that wasn't broth. Quietly he sat in bed, staring out the window watching the clouds pass overhead. The cool breeze blowing in felt nice and the room didn't feel so stuffy.

There was a particularly loud snap from the other side of the room and he turned to see Winry fighting to get a part connected to the automail arm she was trying to finish. He would never say it to her but he hated the sight of her work now. It brought back so many memories that caused his stomach to turn and his heart ache even more then normal. Trying to think about something else, he turned back to the scenery outside. He wondered if anyone had bothered to tell the military about his brother. Part of him was so angry at them all. None of them offered to help Edward when he needed to rescue Al from the underground city. He never remembered being this angry or sad before he was in the armor. He hated these emotions, hated how it affected him physically. Ed and he had done everything together for so long, he wasn't really sure what to do without his older brother. Edward, although very spontaneous, usually was the one who knew what their next course of action was.

Alphonse really wasn't sure what he should do next. The idea of human transmutation came to mind but he quickly dismissed it, knowing Ed would never forgive him for something like that. Even if to some degree he still felt that Sloth was their mother. Trying to bring Ed back would sort of fill the empty space, right? He shook his head, knowing it wasn't a rational idea. He sighed deeply, feeling worn out as usual. Winry set her tool down, wiping her face with the back side of her glove, leaving grease behind.

"It's finally finished." Her tone didn't sound very excited to Al as he glanced over. He found that he had no desire to carry on a conversation about the eye sore so he just turned away from her again. Winry got the hint and dropped her gaze. This accomplishment had brought her little joy which she had expected anyway.

"Hey Winry?" She glanced over at him to see he was still looking out the window. "I was thinking of going on a trip. Do you want to come? We could even stop in Rush Valley if you want." Winry was surprised he wanted to leave so suddenly and that he would even be willing to go to Rush Valley.

"But Al, are you sure you're well enough for a trip?" He sighed back, dropping his gaze to his lap as his hands tightened around the blankets.

"I can't stay here, there's just too many memories...I think I just need to get away." Sadly though, when Winry considered all the places they could go, each one also carried memories from the past with Edward. No matter where he went there would be something there reminding him that Ed wasn't with him. Despite this fact, she didn't want to be selfish either and if this was what he needed, she was going to help.

"Okay, I'll go where ever you want to go but I want you to get better first." For whatever reason her agreeing to go with him didn't make him feel any better. He knew Winry cared for him but he also knew she was dealing with a lot too right now. It seemed like she was distracting herself by taking care of him and he wondered how long it would last before she also broke down like he had. Maybe they really did need each other to get through this. No one understood his loss like she did after all.

...

"So you made it there okay? Who was it you were suppose to meet?" Riza had bombarded Roy with so many questions and didn't wait for the answers. It was obvious she was worried about him.

"Believe me, if I told you, you'd think I was crazy. You don't have to worry though, I trust him."

"Sir,... just be careful. The military is still looking for you as a person of interest in the Furer's disappearance."

"I know, I know. I'm being careful." Getting off the phone, he headed back over to the bar where Hughes was waiting for him. He had already ordered him another scotch and was still nursing his own drink. As Roy took his seat next to him, Maes turned to his friend with a smile.

"So how's the old ball and chain?" Mustang grimaced.

"We're not married, Maes."

"Are you serious? How many hints do I gotta drop? What if it had been my dying wish?" Hughes was always too good at being dramatic.

"Hints? You couldn't be subtle if your life depended on it."

"I should have shown up at your house haunting you until you got hitched. You would probably stay out of trouble if you did."

"And we both know if I did settle down, it would only cause problems. Too many ex-girlfriends to worry about."

"Riza can handle herself." Roy took a sip of his drink before replying.

"So it is Riza you've been 'hinting' at all along."

"Well she is pretty good at keeping you out of trouble."

"And bossing me around too, now can we get down to business?"

"Alright, alright. You were the one talking about how much Riza and you are perfect for each other but if you want to talk about something else, that's fine." Roy swore his one eye was twitching. He was glad that his friend was alive but Hughes always did have a way of twisting conversations as he saw fit. How the man had lasted so many years of not seeing his own wife and daughter was a miracle.

"Anyway..." Roy was trying to get Maes to focus on what they needed to talk about. "How exactly did you convince the military that you died?" Hughes casually lifted his drink before giving his simple answer.

"Bribery." His response caused Roy to raise an eyebrow.

"Seriously?"

"I was in investigations. It wasn't that difficult. Although it does mean my retirement fund looks pretty sad now. No one bothers investigating someone who's suppose to be dead and it's not like the guys in the morgue are low in John Does. And surprisingly enough none of them are above being bribed." Mustang slouched some in his seat.

"There's no way it was that easy. Do you have any idea what you put me through? I even vowed revenge and everything. Not to mention Sciezka constantly bothering me about finding your killers." Maes just shrugged back.

"Well it's also pretty easy to convince people to say you're dead when they know your lifes' at risk."

"Alright, fine. So then where did you go?"

"I was in Xenotime for the last couple of years. That's where I met the Trigham brothers. Apparently their father knew a lot about what was going on in Central. I found out everything that there was to know about Lab five and the philosopher stone."

"So if their dad knew about everything going on then why didn't he come forward with the information?"

"Well I didn't actually meet him. Once he knew what was going on he also went missing but from what I understand he wasn't as lucky."

"Is this how they take care of anyone who goes against them? They just make them 'disappear'?" Roy had to mentally remind himself to keep his voice down. "And now they have Ed?" Hughes stared down at his empty glass, sighing heavily.

"As much as I want to think the kid can take care of himself, I know how these people are and they're more then he can even handle."

"Then don't you think we should get going?"

"You mean you're up for it now?" Roy quickly downed the rest of his drink and stood from his seat.

"If you wait till I'm sober, I might rethink the whole plan. Right now I'm up for something crazy."

"Well at least this way we'll catch them off guard." Hughes rose as well, knowing that this plan was kind of crazy. But Roy always was good at dealing with crazy.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen:Rescue

Dante was starting to question her own plan. Something that rarely ever happened. She found that having Envy and Edward in the same house was more of a challenge then she thought. When the homunculus didn't return shortly after he was suppose to lock Ed up in the basement, she went down to find her creation beating the teen with his own metal arm. It didn't really surprise her that he had taken her orders too far. Transmuting the nearby wall to knock him off his feet was far from a sufficient punishment, but she had another mess to clean up now. The side of Edward's face was bleeding pretty badly. And it was obvious that Envy hadn't been very gently when he removed the automail but then she wasn't so sure he even knew how to be. Sending the homunculus on a much needed walk in the woods to cool his head, she went back upstairs to get something to clean Ed up with. When she came back into the basement, she noticed the blond seemed to be coming in and out of consciousness. His head drooped to one side and he seemed to be staring at her blankly. Kneeling in front of him, she tried to get some kind of acknowledgment from him. Some spark of intelligence. He was obviously too distracted by the pain as he tilted his head away from her. Reaching down, she gently took his chin and started cleaning the blood off his face.

"I don't know why he can't leave you alone."

"Really?" Ed's voice came out in a slurred sound but he never missed an opportunity to mouth off. Of course it was just a strong front. If she hadn't stopped Envy when she did, he was convinced he wouldn't be having this conversation at all. The scary part was he honestly didn't care.

"If you stopped trying to get away, this wouldn't keep happening. Can't you see that I'm offering you a better life with me. You can start over here." Edward concluded his head hurt too much to argue with her. Not getting an answer from him, Dante cleaned out the wash cloth before continuing her task. "You'll see, I promise." Once she cleaned up most of the blood, she bandaged the gash as best as she could. By the time she was finished, Ed was already out. She couldn't help but wonder if Envy gave him a concussion. She was starting to realize she had underestimated how stubborn the alchemist really was. She had hoped that by convincing him that Alphonse was dead, she would be the one he'd turn to for comfort. Apparently corrupting him wasn't going to be as easy as she thought. Of course Envy was not helping which didn't really surprise her. She honestly just wanted to bring Ed back upstairs where he would be more comfortable but he had lost that privilege. The silence in the house was interrupted above her head causing her to become suspicious. Envy wouldn't dare stick around when he was told specifically to get out of the house. Deciding to leave Ed where he was, she headed for the stairs.

...

The wind had picked up outside, so much so that it was difficult to hear what Maes was saying. Roy barely made out that he had just seen the homunculus exit the house. If they were going to sneak inside the mansion, this was their best chance. As soon as Envy was out of sight, the two of them hurried around to the front door. The moon light made things barely visible and there didn't seem to be many lights on inside. Roy felt uneasy about this whole situation. Maybe enough time had gone by and his buzz was wearing off. Or it might have been the fact that he wasn't sure what to expect once they got inside. For all he knew there was a small army of homunculi waiting for them. He had a hard enough time taking one down so the thought of going up against any more right now was unsettling. Another factor that was going to make this an even bigger problem was the size of the place. It was not going to be easy to find Ed right away. The house was big and they would more then likely have to split up.

His thoughts were interrupted as Hughes managed to get the door open. Moving in quietly, Roy motioned to Maes that he was heading upstairs and he nodded back. As Mustang disappeared up the stair case, Maes ducked around the corner when he heard a door open. Dante made it a point to lock the basement, placing the key in her pocket before heading into the living room. Although she didn't look like a threat, Hughes knew better then to undermine her. Nash Trigham's journal had mentioned that the person pulling the strings behind the scenes was a woman and not what you expected. Even though the girl in front of him didn't seem old enough to be an evil mastermind, he would not chance it. Even if it was against his normal instincts, he knew it would be difficult to search this place without running into her. Seeing her head for the stairs, he moved quickly. Bringing his hand behind his back, he produced a throwing knife and grabbed her around the waist. He brought the edge of his blade against her neck, firmly.

"If you scream, don't think for a minute I won't silence you," His voice came out in a low deadly tone. The girl in his grasp didn't seem surprised or even scared. She seemed more curious then concerned that he was even there.

"So it's the Lieutenant Colonel to save the day? I was almost certain you were dead." Her response only confirmed in his mind that she was not just some innocent bystander and he tightened his grip on his knife.

"It's actually Brigadier General and obviously I'm not. Now where's Edward?"

"That's what you came for? What makes you think I'll just hand him over?"

"I don't know, girlie. What makes you think I intend on letting you live? I'm pretty sure last time I checked, you tried to have me killed."

"What makes you think I had anything to do with that?" Her tone was too calm as though his threat was no concern of hers. The blade moved closer to her neck. It would be so easy to end this right now,but he needed her alive.

"Just tell me where Ed is." Dante seemed annoyed but she knew she was at a disadvantage without Envy there.

"Upstairs."

"Fine, you go first." He released her but pulled his gun out as well, still holding the knife in the other hand. Dante had to come up with something, otherwise she would have no choice but to give Edward up."

"So how did you know we were here," she inquired as they made it to the top of the steps. The question brought a smirk to his face.

"I've been in investigations for over eight years. I know how to hunt down information."

"I see. And what do you plan to do once you have Edward? There really is no where to go that the military won't find you. It wouldn't be too hard to convince them that you were involved in the Furer's disappearance and what happen in Lior. Since you went missing for so long and faked your own death you certainly don't look innocent."

"And if I kill you right now, no one would ever hear that ridiculous accusation. So quite talking and show me where Ed is."

"Well I did tried to reason with you." She shrugged as if she didn't care.

"Can't reason with the dead though, can you?"

...

Roy swore that if he wasn't careful, he would get lost in this place. The fact that it was night time didn't help much either. He'd almost made it through each room when something outside caught his eye. The homunculus was on his way back to the house. He'd be there any minute now and then this mission would become even more difficult then it already was. There was another stairway leading into the back of the house. As he made his way down he noticed the large room at the bottom. In the center of it was a transmutation circle. Although this particular circle was not one of the more popular ones that you would find in alchemy books, he still had a pretty good idea what it was for. And while he didn't have all the means needed to seal a homunculus, he wondered if the circle alone could weaken one. It was worth a shot.

Envy kicked the back door open. Apparently a brief walk in the woods did little good for his fowl mood. Glancing around, he noticed Dante was no where in sight and figured she was probably still fussing over the Pipsqueak. As he came further into the room there was a sudden snap and a pillar of fire came down from the ceiling towards him. He jumped out of the way, landing near the circle. Roy stepped out from where he was hiding, his rational side screaming for him not to challenge a homunculus again.

"You weren't suppose to dodge that," he called out, receiving a glare in return. "That just defeats the purpose."

"Well look who decided to invite himself in. I guess you have a death wish too."

"If you think you can kill me, then go right ahead." All of Envy's frustration came out as he got to his feet and leaped gracefully through the air. He would have landed a perfect kick right in the smug General's pretty face if the ground hadn't moved unnaturally and shot up to run him through. His rage must have gotten the best of him since he didn't even remember seeing Mustang kneel down to touch the edge of the circle. Before he realized it, the middle of the floor came to life, impaling the him. Before he could even acknowledge the pain, there was another snap and the room became incredibly hot. "You just sit tight till we leave, okay?" Roy didn't want to wait around in hopes that his theory worked. Even if it was completely false, it would take the homunculus some time to regenerate. Now he just had to find Hughes and Ed.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen:Safe

Roy swore he had tried every door in this whole house and there was still no sign of Ed. They were running out of time, considering Envy could get free at any point. By torching him, he probably just made the homunculus angrier. But as always, he found he just didn't care, even more so since the individual wasn't human. He tried the next door he saw and realized it was locked. Ramming his shoulder against it several times, he forced it open. Staring down another flight of steps, he felt uneasy about going down. It was more then likely a dead end and he never did like putting himself in situations where there was no way out. That's how the fight with Bradley had gone down and he managed to get out of that by the skin of his teeth.

Knowing he had few options at the moment, he headed down. A single lamp was lit in the corner, castings shadows every which way. Surveying the room, he caught sight of something vibrantly golden against the dullness of the room. Moving quickly, he found Edward tied up to an old radiator. He looked aweful to Mustang. His face was streaked with blood and it had saturated some of the blond strains that had fallen in his face. Even in the dim lighting he could see dark discoloration along his left arm where bruises were surfacing as well as along his jaw line. While his automail arm seemed to be missing, his other one was awkwardly pinned behind his back. It was most likely tied to something and if Roy had to guess, he would assume it was either broken or his shoulder was out of joint.

Once he had taken in enough of Ed's injuries, he rushed over to untie the knots around his ankles. Once he had him completely untied, Edward slumped forward against Roy's body. Carefully he hoisted him up, heading back to the stairs. He wanted to get out of this place as quickly as possible. Judging by the smell that still hung in the air, Envy hadn't been able to regenerate as quickly as normal. Moving towards the back of the house to make sure the homunculus wasn't going to follow them, Roy noticed he hadn't been able to move much as all.

"What...what have you done to me, you bastard?" Envy's skin was still smoldering from the dying flames as he clawed at the object holding him up. For whatever reason, he couldn't break it or push himself off.

"Envy!" Mustang, as well as the homunculus looked towards the stairs where Dante and Hughes stood. Envy stared up at Hughes in utter confusion.

"How is he here? He's suppose to be dead." Between being injured and seeing Maes there, Envy wasn't sure what to make of anything. Dante turned to Mustang, angrily.

"What did you do to him? How dare you hurt him like that." She started down the stairs without Maes' permission. As she reached the bottom, she clapped her hands, placing them against the floor. Slowly the altered ground moved downward, bringing Envy to the ground. Glancing up at Maes, Roy turned and headed for the exit. Seeing he had found Ed, Hughes got down the stairs and started to run for the front door as well. "I never said you could leave!" Dante turned and was about to bring her palms together when a shot fired out. There was a pain in her shoulder and she glanced over to feel blood running down her arm. As she let out a shriek of pain, Maes reached the exit.

"Come on, move it!" Roy was already in their car with the engine running. Hughes got into the passenger side and they took off towards the train station. "We've gotta put some distance between us," Mustang mentioned as he shifted gears. Maes glanced into the back seat to see Ed laying on his side.

"So where was he?"

"In the basement."

"So she lied to me! Now I'm glad I shot her," Hughes declared, getting Roy to smile back at him.

...

"Stop whining!" Dante couldn't stand the sound of Envy's complaints. He was a bit of a baby when he managed to get hurt. She was so reluctant to touch his skin, it still looked pretty raw.

"But how did this happen? Why isn't it going away?" At least the whole in his midsection had completely healed although it had been a slower process then normal. "We have to find out how they did this."

"I wasn't expecting the Flame Alchemist to have this kind of knowledge. And I don't understand how Maes Hughes is still alive. You were suppose to kill him for finding out too much about the truth." Envy sat up, pounding his fist into the floor.

"I did kill him, I saw him die!" It might have been that Dante had been too overconfident or just completely underestimated her opponents but for whatever reason, she was starting to feel like she was loosing. And she didn't like it.

"Even if he did manage to survive, he won't be alive for long. I plan to kill everyone that got close to the stone and I intend to fulfill that goal."

"Look at my face. Did you see what he did to my face?" Envy had gotten up and was staring at his reflection in the window. It seemed the further he got from the transmutation circle, the quicker he was healing.

"Envy, get it together. I won't have you loosing it now. Besides you're healing faster, just give it a couple more minutes." The homunculus didn't like the idea of not looking good. He grit his teeth and clenched his fists before turning back to her.

"I'm going to make them pay for this."

"Then I suggest we head back to Central. I'll need to make a couple of calls first though."

...

For whatever reason, Edward felt safe. There were familiar sounds around him and the smell was obviously that of a train station due to the stench of coal in the air. Barely conscious, he could feel himself being carried and it definitely wasn't by Envy. Instead of being carelessly tossed over the homunculi's boney shoulder, resulting in a sore stomach, he was practically being cradled in a pair of strong arms. A thick wool jacket had been placed around him and he found himself snuggling more into the person's embrace.

Maes glanced down, finding himself smiling as Ed stirred in his sleep. Carefully he made his way down the narrow hallway, adjusting the sleeping teen as he went. Checking the number on one of the nearby doors he sighed heavily, knowing he had a way to go. Finally the desired number appeared in one cart over. The dwelling was small with two bunks on one side and a seat across the way. Each bed was much more narrow then a regular bed with a curtain off to the side for privacy. Hughes frowned, realizing that they technically needed three beds. Edward shifted and buried his face further into Maes' side muttering something to himself.

"Al...nnn"

Hughes couldn't help but wonder if either one of the Elric Brothers knew where the other was. He didn't really know where Alphonse had gone off to. Russell had mentioned he went with his teacher but that was the last thing he'd heard. Realizing his arms were growing tired, he lifted Ed up onto the upper bunk. Finding several extra blankets, he grabbed the thickest one there was. The temperature was going to drop as they moved back north to Central and there was a pretty good chance the train wasn't heated. As he wrapped the blanket around the blond, the door slid open and Roy walked in carrying a suitcase.

"It's pretty crowded out there isn't it?" He placed the luggage on the seat near the window. Hughes finished tucking Ed in and closed the curtain before turning back to his friend. By this point, Roy had also noticed the issue with their sleeping arrangements as a deep frown started forming on his face. Maes let out a laugh and scratched his head.

"If you want I'll just take the seat and you can have the lower bunk." Getting a better look at the small bed which seemed more like a glorified cot then an actual bed, he shook his head.

"No, it's okay. I think I'm gonna go get something to eat once we're on our way. I also think I want to stay awake just in case anything comes up. Which reminds me, did you call Gracia so she knows we're coming?"

"Oh you're right! How could I possibly forget about my sweet Gracia?" With that said he hurried off to use the phone before they departed. Roy took a seat and sighed heavily to himself. At least Maes was still as scattered brained as ever. He was glad he hadn't lost that. As he thought about the evening's events he couldn't help but worry about what the outcome of it all would be. He couldn't help but wonder if returning to Central was such a good idea. If Dante was smart though, she'd back off for awhile but he wasn't very hopeful of that."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen:Broken

There was the soothing sound of wheels moving over tracks. The gentle movement that accompanied it was enough to convince anyone to doze off. Edward wasn't sure if it was the constant rocking or the possible concussion but regardless of the reason, he had no desire to wake up. The bed might not have been as comfortable as Dante's but it made no difference. Shifting some, he noticed the lack of his metal arm and tried to recall what happened to it. Had he gotten soo careless that he couldn't remember? Curling more into the warmth of the blankets he decided he would worry about it later. Besides, the closer he was to consciousness, the more he could feel the throbbing headache that seemed to be right behind his eyes. Other then the sound of the tracks, he really couldn't make out any other noises around him. It seemed that he was here alone. Now his curiosity was getting the better of him as several other questions came to mind. How'd he get here in the first place? Where was Dante and more importantly where was Envy? Had he gotten away on his own but couldn't remember, do to the constant ache in his head? All these questions were very important at this moment and if there was one thing Edward Elric hated, it was not knowing something.

Stretching his legs out, he dared to open one eye. He was greeted by nothing but darkness. It surprised him and he looked around even more, trying to figure out his surroundings. Moving quickly, he sat up and hit his head on something above him.

"OW!" He fell back to the safety of the bed. He couldn't understand why the ceiling was so low as he rubbed his forehead. The knock to his skull certainly didn't make his head feel any better. He rolled to the side to find the end of the small bed and before he had a chance to stop himself, he was falling. Daylight came into view as he landed hard several feet down from the top bunk. His automail leg took the brunt of the impact and he heard an unsettling noise from it. Being as unbalanced as he was without his arm and pretty dizzy from the fall, he remained on the floor, holding his head and letting out a tired groan. He knew he should have just gone back to sleep. There was some movement nearby and he glanced back to where he had fallen from. Obviously there was another person in the lower bed and he managed to find his anger. After all if he couldn't sleep why should anyone else? "What the hell's going on!" He sat up, feeling indignant. The curtain to the lower bed was pushed open and Maes poked his head out.

"Couldn't you keep it down just a little, Ed?" He scratched his chin and let out a yawn. The teen blinked in disbelief. Was Hughes death just a lie? Why would anyone make something like that up though.

"Lieutenant Colonel? But I thought you..."

"Hey, let's get one thing straight," Maes interrupted him as he sat up from his bed and pushed the curtain away. "It's Brigadier General now. I earned that title fair and square, okay?"

"I was told you were killed."

"Yeah got a lot of that going around. Everyone thought you were dead too." Ed thought about it for a minute then concluded it would make sense for people to think he was dead. He sighed heavily, still feeling tired.

"So how'd you know where to find me?"

"Well it wasn't that easy. Definitely took longer then I hoped it would. That girl only has so many resources though without her stone." At the mention of the philosopher's stone, Ed looked away from Hughes. It made him think about Alphonse and he couldn't handle that right now. "Anyway, I still haven't figured out where we're going. This trains' heading for Central but I don't think we can stay there permanently." Ed thought about it and knew he was right. He was pretty sure that what Dante said was correct and the military was still after him. Before he could think of a solution, there was an unhappy grumbling behind him.

"Can't you two talk somewhere else. Some of us really didn't get much sleep last night," Roy looked as bad as he sounded. His clothes were disheveled along with his messy hair and worn out expression. He rubbed his face as though it would help him wake up.

"So you're here too?" Ed turned back to him as he let out a yawn.

"Did you really think he wouldn't drag me along? I think he just gets some kind of sick enjoyment from all this." Hughes made a face in response.

"Not my fault you don't believe in ghosts, I could have had a blast if you did."

"Wait, so what happened with Bradley," Edward asked Mustang. The Flame alchemist stretched some before answering.

"As far as the military is concerned he's currently missing. They haven't really started an investigation just yet but at the very least they're going to want to ask me some questions about it. As long as the higher ups keep thinking I'm up north, then we shouldn't have any problems in Central."

"Why are we even heading back there anyway? Even if you turned yourself in, I doubt anyone would believe you," Ed pointed out.

"Ironically enough, the safest place right now is right under their noses. At least until we're able to come up with a better plan," Maes explained and chose to leave out the part where he would get to see his family again.

"You probably need to see your mechanic about your arm. We might have to detour to Resembol," Roy mused as he leaned forward on his knees. Edward dismissed the idea with a wave.

"I'm not too worried about it right now. If Dante comes after me, I don't want to lead her there. She would expect that from me. We need to avoid doing anything predictable." Although he sounded convincing in the back of his mind Edward knew he didn't want to face Winry right now. He couldn't stand the thought of telling her that he lost Alphonse. It had been difficult enough for him to accept it, he could only imagine what she would say. Rising to his feet, his left ankle turned funny and he went right back down. Hughes was the first to move.

"You all right?" Ed got a better look at his automail to see that it had taken too much of a beating. That fall earlier off the bed was probably the final bit of damage the metal limb could take. He had already repaired it as best he could but without his arm and nothing to really transmute to reinforce it, he didn't have any options but to remain were he was.

"Guess I might have to get a hold of my mechanic eventually." Maes helped him up onto the seat across the way.

"If it's too much to go see her, we can always find someone who can fix it, right?"

"It depends on how bad the damage is but it seems like we don't have many options right now." It got quiet among the three of them. With so much unknown, it was difficult to gauge what their next move needed to be. Finally Mustang rose to his feet and headed for the door.

"I'm gonna go see what there is to eat for breakfast." As the door slid shut, the silence returned. Ed knew Maes could only go so long without filling the quiet and sure enough within seconds, the older man was clearing his throat.

"You know if you want, I can have you stay with Gracia while we're in Central. I'm sure she could convince Winry to come visit so she can do your maintenance."

"It's okay, Hughes. I'll figure something else out." Maes knew there was no point arguing with him. He was certain there was more to it then Winry's safety but if Edward didn't offer the reason, he wasn't going to get it out of him. Ed knew Maes was right, though. He couldn't function like this and eventually would have to see her. Deciding he would worry about it then, he leaned back further in the seat and brought his gaze out the window.

Author's Note-Reviews!


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen:Traveling

Just as expected, the trip did little good for Alphonse. Although he was doing much better right before they left and the whole way to Rush Valley, once they arrived, it wasn't long before he was under the weather again. When Winry returned to their hotel room after several hours out shopping, she noticed he was already sleeping. Despite what had happened between them in Resembol, they still got a room with two beds. Winry just felt that Al needed some space right now.

Quietly she made her way over to his side of the room to check on him. He still looked a little flushed but hopefully by morning he would be feeling better. She knew he had decided to come to Rush Valley just for her. He really didn't have any reason to be in this town. She was surprised that he even wanted to come here considering the last time they were here was with Edward. Winry knew Al just wanted to get away from Resembol but she wasn't sure where he wanted to go next. He had been so disconnected lately. Normally Ed was the one who knew what their next move was so the fact that Al was completely unaware of what to do with his life now didn't really surprise her. She just knew she needed to be there for him.

Walking back over to her bed, she looked through the bag of goods she just bought. She knew that she was going to have to lug the parts around with them until she returned home but she couldn't help herself. Reaching down next to the bed she picked up her heavy leather case and placed it on the bed. Opening it up, she stared down at the finished automail arm. Coming to Rush Valley, she was determine to try and sell it but for whatever reason she couldn't bring herself to do so. Grabbing the parts out of the bag, she placed them in the case along with the arm. Closing the case she put back on the floor and got into her own bed.

There was a question that had been bothering her all day long and now being alone, it came back to mind. She had ran into Paninya in town while shopping. When she purchased the parts, it caused her friend to inquire about Edward.

"Are those extenders for that State Alchemist?" Winry had been completely shocked by the the question at the time. Normally she would never purchase extenders except for Ed's leg. She hadn't even realized it at the time but that was the only reason she would ever need them.

"Um, no it's not for him," she lied but it really was the truth though. She was such a creature of habit and she hated it. Edward's automail had always been her priority. Anytime she saw something that would help him, she wouldn't hesitate to get it. Staring at the ceiling of their hotel room, she couldn't help but wonder if Ed would be happy that she stayed with Alphonse. She hoped he would even if it made things difficult for her. Deep down though she knew he would have appreciated it. That thought made her smile to herself but also made her feel the pain of missing him all at the same time.

...

Maes let out a frustrating sigh as he tried to maneuver through the crowd on the platform. Central's station was usually this hectic but their train had gotten in well over twenty minutes ago. He was anxious to see Gracia and trying to get back to the train through the sea of people was taking forever. Finally he forced his way back onto the train, going the opposite way of traffic. He hadn't seen any MPs so far which made him feel even more cautious since they were notorious for sticking around the station. Roy had already left, agreeing to meet Hughes and Ed back at his house after joining up with his lieutenant. It would be much easier to get Ed out of here unnoticed without the Flame alchemist tagging along. Just in case the military got wind of anything. He finally got back to their car and slid the door open to find Ed still staring out the window.

"We're all set now," Meas said, getting the teen to turn in his direction. Ed's gaze dropped to the item he'd return with and he let out a heavy sigh. As much as he didn't like the idea of a wheelchair, he didn't really have many options. It's not like Hughes could carry him everywhere. After a bit of fumbling, he got settled and they left the train. The station wasn't nearly as crowded now and Maes couldn't help but wonder how that happened so quickly. Glancing down he noticed Ed seemed to be cold. Now that he thought about it, the weather this time of the year in Central was pretty cool. Removing his jacket, he draped it around the blond's shoulders.

"Thanks," he muttered, pulling it closed with his hand. Maes shrugged it off and continued across the platform. Hurrying around the corner, he looked for the car that was suppose to be waiting for them. Checking his watch again, he wondered why his contact wasn't there yet. They should have been ready about fifteen minutes ago. He didn't like being out in the open like this. Suddenly without warning, several military cars pulled up and stopped at the curb.

"Dammit," Hughes muttered under his breath. He wondered how they knew to be here and who might have tipped them off. Ed glanced up at Maes, uncertainty in his eyes. Several MPs got out, immediately aiming their guns in Ed's direction. That action alone was enough to cause his stomach to wrench. One particular individual finally stepped out of his car. Hughes concluded that due to the amount of stripes and stars on his uniform that he must be the leader of this operation. Casually he took his time as though his men weren't all standing there with their weapons drawn. He regarded the two at the center of all this attention and smirked.

"Fullmetal Alchemist," he acknowledged Ed first, receiving a glare in return. "You're wanted back at Headquarters for questioning. If you resist," he paused with an even more devious smile in place. "Well I don't recommend that."

"What about him?" Ed pointed back at Hughes whom no one seemed to recognize which probably worked to his advantage at the moment.

"He's free to go. You're the only one we were ordered to retrieve." Maes leaned down next to Edward's ear, speaking in a quiet tone.

"If you want, I'll go with you anyway. Maybe if we both tell them what's been going on..." Ed shook his head before he could finish.

"There's no point. We all knew they were going to catch up to us eventually anyway. I'm lucky I was able to avoid them for this long. Just go meet up with Mustang." Hughes didn't like the idea of handing him over but for whatever reason, Edward didn't seem so concerned. Even if he wasn't able to convince them what really happened and that he wasn't involved the way they thought he was, then he was content being locked up. After all what did he really have to protect now anyway?

...

When Winry woke up the next morning, she was alone in the hotel room. Getting out of bed, she hurried into the bathroom to find it empty as well. Rushing back out over to Al's bed, she checked to see if his luggage was gone. Taking in a calming breath, she was relieved to see his suitcase was still there but it still didn't answer the question where he was. For whatever reason, she worried about him wandering around town without her. Maybe he just needed to get out. He must have been feeling better then, right? Something told her to be worried about his absence though. Luckily, before she managed to fret for very long, the door to the hotel room opened and Al walked in.

"Al, you're okay." She hurried over to him. He placed his key on the dresser as well as the bag of food.

"Yeah. I just left to get some breakfast for us." This was the first time he seemed to be acting normal.

"So you're feeling better?" He actually gave her a small grin back.

"My fever finally broke last night so I guess I'm not sick anymore." Although he appeared to be alright, something about his upbeat attitude didn't make sense to her. "So I was thinking and I want to head to Central today, if it's alright with you."

"Really? Why do you want to go there?" She almost wished she hadn't asked but the question slipped out before she could stop herself.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to. I don't mind going alone. There's just something I need to do, that's all." Winry thought about it for a minute before replying.

"I'll come along. It'd be nice to see Gracia and Elicia while we're there." As much as she wanted to know what it was he needed to do, there was no point asking. If he wanted to tell her he would have.

Author's notes:REVIEWS! I'm getting bored here.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen:Solutions

"You let them take him?" Roy's tone revealed his concern. Maes pulled his glasses away from his face and cleaned the lenses on his shirt.

"There was no letting anything. We didn't have too many options at the moment." Roy didn't like this new predicament at all.

"This is bad. The Furer was the one who ordered the search for the Elrics so why would they still be looking for them?"

"Might be because the Furers' missing, they're following any possible leads. Maybe they think Ed knows something." Mustang crossed his arms and stared at the floor, trying to think of a solution.

"Maybe I need to go in. All this sneaking around doesn't suit me anyway. Besides it just makes me look more guilty."

"But do you really think that they'll hand Edward over if you give yourself up?"

"I don't know. Ed can't handle this alone though." Roy ran his hand over his face in frustration. From what he saw, Ed was not in the best state to deal with the military's questions right now. Thinking about it, Hughes knew he was right. Since they managed to get Edward out of Dante's place, he'd been unusually quiet. Maes hadn't really gotten the chance to ask him what was bothering him. He just assumed Ed would tell him whenever he was ready.

"I think we need to find Alphonse. Maybe he knows more about what happened."

...

"Fullmetal Alchemist Edward Elric, you've been brought here on charges of conspiracy against the military. Do you understand the charges you are facing?" The officer standing in front of him had a smug look on his face as though he enjoyed his job too much. Quietly he nodded back. "You're scheduled tomorrow for questioning. Until then, you'll be placed in confinement. If you cause any problems,... well I recommend you not." Ed didn't bother saying anything in response. He just wanted to be left alone for the time being. He had no idea what he was going to do or even say in the interrogation the next day. There was pretty much no witnesses that would stand up for him when it came to Lior. Almost everyone involved in that situation either disappeared or were dead. He didn't even know what happened to Rose. Now that he thought about it, Lyra was the only one he could account for. He hated the idea of needing her help. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" The officer grabbed the front of Ed's shirt and practically shook him to get his attention. Despite how defeated he felt, he still managed to glare at the man way too close to his face.

"Was there something else?" The officer released his grip on the fabric and straightened up.

"No, that's all." He nodded to the two guards to take Ed back to his cell. The one took hold of the wheelchair from behind while the other opened the barred door. It made a painfully loud squeak as they closed it behind them. Although he didn't voice it, he was somewhat relieved that they left the wheelchair. It wasn't like he was going anywhere.

The lights went out, plunging everything into darkness. Letting out a sigh, he wondered what Mustang was going to do about this. Would he even bother getting involved or avoid this whole mess completely. He honestly wasn't even sure he could help. Shifting some in the uncomfortable chair, he knew he was not going to sleep well this particular night.

...

When Gracia answered the door she was expecting her husband. So when she opened the door to see Winry and Alphonse,she was caught off guard. Even so, she smiled politely as she opened the door all the way.

"What are you two doing here?" Winry smiled back, adjusting the case on her shoulder.

"Sorry it's so late. I know we should have called."

"No, it's fine. Did you need to stay tonight?" She figured that eventually they would all end up in Central. Unfortunately she wasn't able to tell them anything that was happening since she hadn't heard from Maes yet.

"Are you sure it's okay?" Al asked as they came in out of the cool night and she closed the door behind them.

"Yes, we just have to keep it down cause Elicias' in bed." Alphonse really didn't like inconveniencing Gracia. He hadn't seen her since they learned about the Lt. Colonel. Deep down he felt somewhat responsible for what happened to him and he was dealing with enough issues as it was. He remained quiet as Gracia led the way to one of the extra bedrooms. Switching the light on, she turned back to her two house guests. "Alphonse, you can take this room. There's extra blankets at the end of the bed if you get cold. And Winry, if you'll follow me, you can sleep in the study." The two women exited the room, leaving Al alone. Placing his suitcase down on the bed, he couldn't help but wonder if Gracia just had company or if she usually left extra blankets out. Deciding it didn't really matter, he concluded that he just wanted to go to sleep. He had a long day ahead of him tomorrow and would need his rest. He planned to get up before Winry and head out in the morning. He didn't want her to accompany him, knowing that she would either ask too many questions or not understand what he needed to do.

And besides all that, the less people to know about the under ground city, the better.

...

Roy hated that he was still awake when the first rays of morning sun started to peak over the distant hill tops. He hadn't slept at all the entire night. Maybe he was still too worried about Edward. Or even that most of his subordinates were still up in the north and in continuous battle. There had been little word as to how they had been fairing so far but then he didn't have any way of finding out at the moment. He knew that the uncomfortable mattress hadn't help him sleep either. The cheap hotel was definitely overrated and he had actually been looking forward to sleeping on the couch in the Hughes' study instead of the lumpy bed.

But that's not how things had turned out. Maes didn't want to go home without having Ed with them. There was always the chance that Ed would mention something about staying there which could put Gracia and Elicia in harm. It would be better to not show up there right now. In all of this Roy had planned on heading up north to join the rest of his team to confirm the alibi for the time of the Furer's disappearance. Now that Ed had been taken in, he felt that he needed to change the plan completely.

Turning to his other side, he let out an annoyed sound as more light came in through the window. A soft snore next to him didn't make him feel any better about the circumstances. And how was Maes even able to sleep so soundly anyway? He wished his friend was some one night stance he'd picked up at a bar. At least then he wouldn't still be awake. He shifted again, covering his tired eyes. He knew that wasn't true either. All this insanity going on had managed to kill any romance he could muster up. And Hawkeye staying down the hall wasn't helping in that area either. But all these thoughts bouncing around in his head were not the problem. They were not what was keeping him awake.

He knew what he needed to do. He knew that if Edward's superior stepped forward and explained what happened in Lior, they would have no reason to hold him any longer. But once he did that, he would be brought in for more questioning concerning the Furer. He could always play it off as he was up north this whole time but the conflict was still going strong up there. At best he could find a way to get a message to his team and have them return to Central. If he came forward, there was a good chance he could take the fall for all of this and keep the rest of them safe from any of his actions. He could just play it off as they were just following his orders. It brought an ironic grin to his face. This plan was career suicide. Any chance of him getting any closer to the Furer's seat was fleeting right before him and for whatever reason he found that he cared less and less about it. Hadn't he already tossed the dream aside before going to the Furer's house anyway.

He concluded that since he had already given up on such an idealistic plan, he might as well follow through completely. Knowing he had made up his mind about what his next course of action was, he shifted again on the lumpy bed. Now if he could just get a couple hours of sleep in before everything hit the fan, he would at least be able to function better the next day.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen: Interrogation

To say the room felt tense was an understatement. Of course it was probably more so for Ed since he seemed like the center of everyone's attention. As each member of the council entered the room, they each seemed to be eyeing him suspiciously. He was certain he looked uncomfortable. If it was up to him, he wouldn't have to make eye contact with each of them or be forced to stand up. Two guards stood on either side of him who were 'helping' him stay on his feet or rather his foot. Being unable to put any weight on his automail, he had to lean even more on his right side. It was hard not to show the strain in his expression. Finally every higher up seemed to be in the room. There weren't even enough chairs as the last two generals closed the door and remained standing. Once all the leaders were seated, Edward was permitted to sit back down.

General Hakuro started speaking to the rest of the group, stating the reason for the meeting. Like no one knew. He was one of the few Ed actually recognized in the room. As much as Ed knew these people determined a lot for his future, he found he just didn't really care. He was never concerned with impressing people in the military. It was this same group of people who supported a homunculus in leadership. They had created monsters like Tucker and let things like the fifth laboratory go unnoticed. How could they be so oblivious to somethings but then be so completely wrong on others, like what happened in Ishbal and Lior.

"Would you answer the question, Fullmetal?" Edward was brought back to the present situation before him and glanced around to see all eyes on him again.

"I'm sorry can you repeat the question?" General Hakuro let out an irritated sigh as he leaned forward in his chair more.

"I asked, what were you doing in Lior?" Ed dropped his gaze, knowing he didn't want to be having this conversation.

"Lt. Colonel Archer sent me in to investigate the situation with Scar."

"I find that interesting considering the Lt. Colonel isn't here to confirm that though. Can you even tell us why you were even in that region at that time?"

"We were already looking for Scar and ran into the military." He was trying not to sound exasperated but it was difficult to not get defensive. The military should have known everything that happened in Lior especially his reason for being there.

"And by 'we' you mean you and your brother who is not part of the military." Ed swallowed the lump in his throat before nodding back. "Can you tell us why he was even involved in anything concerning your military duties?" He couldn't answer right away. It had never been a problem so he wasn't sure why it was one now.

"It was never an issue for him to come with me." His voice came out in a small tone.

"Where is your brother now?" The question came out in a harsh tone and not from General Hakuro either. Another leader had joined the conversation, eyeing the State Alchemist over the rim of his glasses.

"I...uh..." He was having a difficult time answering when there was a sudden knock on the large doors at the other end of the room. Everyone's attention shifted to the door and before anyone could even get up to see who it was, the door opened. Before the room could get into an uproar, the individual entered, immediately silencing any questions.

"Morning, gentlemen." The Furer glanced around the room as though he was taking in the shocked stares and gasps in response. His gaze landed on the reason for this meeting. Edward looked as surprised as everyone else. The faint smirk he received caused him to narrow his stare. Something didn't seem right about this sudden interruption. "Sorry for barging in like this but I felt that it was important for me to be present for this particular investigation."

"Sir, you're okay," one particular leader mentioned, standing to his feet along with several others. There were several other statements declared about the Furer's present but in a room this size and the amount of people speaking out, it was difficult to understand everything said. Finally the man put his hand up in order to silence everyone.

"I appreciate all of your concerns but clearly I am perfectly fine. Besides there are more pressing matters right now." The leader of the country brought his attention back to Edward who was still glaring in his direction. "So Fullmetal, would you care to explain to the council why you and your brother left the city of Lior after all those soldiers went missing?" Ed hunched forward more but was quickly poked in the ribs by one of the guards and ordered to sit up straight. Apparently it was disrespectful.

"The Furer asked you a question, Fullmetal. Answer him," General Hakuro always was a bit of a kiss up in Ed's opinion.

"The purpose of going into the city was to investigate, _Sir. _There was no reason to stay once I found out that the citizens had evacuated."

"But you didn't check in with your superior officer before leaving. Don't you think that is awfully suspicious?"

"I think the more important question is why did you send in your troops when I specifically sent a letter to Colonel Mustang warning the military of Scar's plan." The room erupted into chaos as the other men around the table found his response unacceptable.

"How dare you question the Furer."

"Don't you realize who you are talking to?"

"This is what happens when you let a kid become a state alchemist, it all goes to their heads." Again the Furer silenced the room.

"Alright, that's enough. He does bring up a valid point." The room quieted once again but Edward could feel every glare he was receiving. Dropping his head even more, he sighed heavily to himself. There was no reason to defend his actions. No one was going to believe him anyway. "I sent my troops in because it was my understanding that Scar had killed a state alchemist and that he planned to use the citizens of the city as ingredients for a philosophy stone. We couldn't sit by and let him accomplish this, could we?" The other leaders seemed to mutter to each other in agreement.

"That was exactly why I sent the letter to the Colonel. He had no plans on harming the citizens and was just waiting for the military to come into the city. We gave him exactly what he wanted." The grumblings around him didn't seem to be in agreement now and he was starting to feel like he was crazy. If Al was here, he could tell them. He could convince them that what he said was true. But now it was just him, no one was going to back him up. He felt so alone.

"I feel that this matter will need to be discussed amongst the council before we can make a final decision on what to do with you." The statement made Edward swallow hard again and he knew whatever the outcome was, it wouldn't be good. "For the time being please bring Fullmetal back to his cell." Everyone in the room stood and saluted their leader before Ed was removed from the room.

...

Even though he had been down here before, this time the experience made Alphonse feel ill. The damp smell attacked his nose and his stomach turned. The underground city was silent and just as void of life as the first time. Quietly he walked to the only building that was familiar. Adjusting the bag on his shoulder, he pushed the heavy doors open. He wasn't really surprised to find the place empty. Dante had no reason to stay here after all but he had been somewhat hopeful he would find her here. The large room before him seemed so void, as though nothing had happened and frankly if he hadn't witnessed it all himself, he wouldn't believe over a month ago this place was lit up with music playing. Now that is was deserted, there was a thick layer of dust on everything and the quiet around him seemed eerie.

Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a light and turned it on, shining it around the room. There seemed to be little evidence around him as he walked further in. The transmutation circle was just as he had left it, only slightly faded. The only other thing nearby was a beaten up, antique looking suit of armor leaning forward, over a deep red stain that had seeped into the wooden floor. The armor that had once held his soul was now just an empty object. Hollow and void of any life. It's eye holes now darkened with no red glow emanating from them.

He hated this place, hated what it represented, hated the memories it brought back. It was here that he watched helplessly while his older brother was killed. Here, where he had felt so hopeless to the point that he just wanted to die so that way no one else had to suffer. And now a small part of him was thankful that there wasn't a corpse to greet him while deep in his heart, he felt an ache for the need to bury his brother in a dignifying way. He shook his head at the thought. That was not the reason he had come here. He didn't want to bury Ed, he wanted him back. Despite all he had learned over the year and the mistakes made in the past, he was right back where he was when he was ten years old.

Without warning he felt himself loosing it. A sob pushed forth and he suddenly found himself on his knees in front of the transmutation circle. He couldn't stop the tears and he honestly didn't want to. He had tried so hard to keep it in but that had only gotten him sick. Here no one could tell him he was being unreasonable. Like loosing the only family you have was just something to get over. To just move on. His cries of sorrow echoed around him, bouncing off the walls as fresh tears dripped off his chin to the ground.

"Why did it have to be you? Why do I have to be the one to live now? I can't take this anymore!" No one answered but then he didn't expect anyone to. Without thinking about it, he brought his palms together and then pressed them to the floor. "I should be allowed to bring him back! It's not fair that we gave up all those years and for what? We gave up everything and got nothing in return. How is that fair? How is that equivalent?" He choked as he pressed his palms even harder into the edge of the circle. He closed his eyes and brought his head lower, trying to take in each breath as though the stale air was unbreathable.

It was almost as though the sudden blue glow was an answer to all his questions. He hadn't used alchemy since that day but it came back to his mind so clearly now. The familiar sound of alchemy came to life, bouncing around the room. He opened his eyes, glancing up as though he wasn't sure what he had done. The ground started to rumble under him and it felt like the whole building was shaking. He watched as a crack spread across the floor and up the pillars on either side of the room. If he didn't get out of there soon, the whole place was going to come down on him. And then he realized he didn't care and remained where he was, waiting for the end to come.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty:Truth

Winry wasn't really surprised the next morning when she found out that Al had left before she woke up. Sitting in the kitchen with Gracia and Elicia, she kept quiet while sipping her tea. She found she had to force a smile on her face as Elicia told her about how excited she was about going to school. Apparently this was her first day. Gracia seemed anxious but Winry just figured it was either motherly jitters about sending Elicia to school or maybe it had to do with Alphonse leaving without telling them where he went. The older woman kept playing with her wedding ring and glancing over at the clock.

"Is everything okay?" Gracia glanced up, a quiet worry evident on her expression.

"There's just a lot going on right now." She dropped her head, still twisting her ring around her finger.

"Mommy, is it time to go to school yet?" Elicia seemed oblivious to any stress between Winry and her mother. Gracia smiled as she stood from the table.

"Yes, the bus will be here soon." She picked up the breakfast dishes and brought them over to the sink.

"Sissy,are you going to see me off too?" Winry smiled down at Elicia and nodded. She was glad she came here, even if Al was missing, it was always nice the see the Hughes family. She helped Elicia with her backpack before the bus pulled up and she hurried off. Gracia waved goodbye as the bus drove off.

Winry went back into the kitchen to help with the dishes. A couple of minutes passed and she heard the front door open again and Gracia talking to someone. She wondered if Al was back and came out into the living room.

"Is that Al..." She paused in the doorway, not quite sure what she was seeing. Gracia was standing there with Maes. At first it took her a minute to recognize him but as soon as he smiled at her, there was no mistaking his identity. "What is going on?"

...

Alphonse felt something pull him away from the transmutation circle. He opened his eyes to see the suit of armor standing overhead, blocking anything from falling on him. He wasn't sure what was going on until the armor grabbed him and hurried for the exit. They almost made it out when the doorway caved in, trapping Al and the suit under a pile of rubble. He looked around for a way out and noticed the suit was holding up a majority of debris, keeping it from landing on him. The whole building was coming down and if he didn't move quickly, he wouldn't be able to get out. The armor finally managed to toss the heavy object off and immediately picked Al up. Once they made it a safe distance away, the inanimate object dropped Alphonse to the ground with a thud.

"Ow," he rubbed his lower back before looking up at the armor. "What was that for?" There wasn't an answer and he wondered if his alchemy was what caused the thing to come alive. Getting back to his feet, he stared down at his hands, realizing something else had happened that he didn't understand. Clapping his palms together, he then pressed them against the armor. Alchemy bounced around in response before the suit toppled over. There was no explaining how he could transmute without a circle. He wondered if it had something to do with the philosopher stone, or maybe his attempt to bring his brother back.

Clapping his hands again, he touched the suit at his feet once more and it stood up on it's own. Shaking his head in disbelief, he turned back to the mess he'd just made. To some degree, destroying this place did make him feel better, but it didn't change the fact that Edward was gone and he was no closer to getting him back.

...

"I don't understand." Winry sat across from Maes and Gracia. "Why didn't you tell anyone you were okay?" Maes smiled faintly in return, rubbing the back of his hand against his forehead.

"It wasn't that simple unfortunately. If everyone knew I was okay, then the homunculus might have come after me again or even worse, after Gracia and Elicia."

"I really did want to tell you, Winry but there was just too much at stake. I 'm sorry if it upset you," Gracia said. The blond mechanic shook her head.

"No, it's okay. I understand why it had to be this way. I just know that Ed and Al felt responsible for it."

"Believe me, we had no intentions of hurting anyone but once we found out what we were up against, the best thing for me to do was to go into hiding," He removed his glasses and proceeded to clean the lenses. "And if all goes as planned, Roy will be able to get the ridiculous charges dropped and get Ed released." Winry's gaze shot up and she stared at him as though he had said something crazy.

"What did you say about Ed?" He paused at his task to look back at her.

"Al and you weren't told yet? They took him in for questioning about Lior." Winry swore she must had been dreaming. For Mr. Hughes to still be alive was a miracle in and of itself, but now he was telling her that Edward was alive as well. Her heart felt like it would leap right out of her chest. Tears blurred the corners of her vision and a sense of relief came over her.

"Then he's not dead, " she stated in a quiet tone before wiping at her eyes. "I have to tell Alphonse."

"Speaking of which, where is he? I was expecting him to be here. Eds' been acting weird lately without him around." Gracia sighed, answering for Winry who was still overtaken by the news about Edward.

"He left early this morning and we're not sure where he went."

"Mmm. Well hopefully he'll show up soon. We're more then likely going to need his help." Winry nodded quietly in agreement. She knew that if Al knew Ed was okay, he wouldn't keep running off like this.

"So where's Roy?" Gracia's question caught Winry's attention again. She hadn't heard much about Mustang since Alphonse had come home. And the mention of him now brought on a twinge of pain in her heart. Sure he let Edward and Alphonse go when the military was looking for them but one good deed didn't erase a bad one. It certainly didn't bring back her parents. Her feelings towards him were confusing and she felt it was just best to keep her distance. Having to deal with Alphonse lately, she didn't have time to worry about anything else. Her mind wondered to another issue. She wanted to know how Ed was doing. Parts of the conversation replayed in her head and she realized Mr. Hughes had mentioned getting Ed released.

"Um, is Edward locked up?" It was clear that she was concerned about him. Maes absentmindedly scratched the side of his head as though he was trying to figure out how he wanted to answer her.

"Well he's being held for questioning. It's pretty ridiculous considering all they need to do is look through the reports about Lior but no one seems to want to do that."

"Then how does the Colonel plan on getting him out?" Hughes couldn't help but smile to himself. If Roy was here he certainly wouldn't like being referred to as Colonel considering he finally got promoted.

"I'm sure he'll think of something."

...

Being in a wheelchair was bad enough as it was. But being in a wheelchair with only one good arm was even worse. Edward was beyond just being bored as the hours passed slowly. He had slept for some of the time he was in confinement but even that was difficult being stuck in this chair. He had considered moving to the 'bed' however a couple of blankets on a concrete floor with no pillow was probably even more uncomfortable.

There was no way to determine what time of the day it was. There weren't any windows and the only light was a single dim bulb out in the hallway which was barely even visible through the small opening in the door. The food here was no clue either since the two meals they gave him seemed to be the same sludge, making it impossible to tell which was considered breakfast and which was suppose to be dinner.

When he was at Dante's, he had a hard enough time trying to keep his mind occupied. Here though, with nothing else to do, he found that his thoughts would wonder. Al came to mind quite a bit and he couldn't help but go over the situation again and again in his mind. He couldn't understand why things had happened the way they did. Why wasn't he able to come up with a better plan? Yes, he hadn't been able to use alchemy around Alphonse because of the stone, but he didn't want to accept the fact that he was completely handicap because of that one factor.

Was Envy really all that more powerful then him? He had never actually beaten Envy in a fight so maybe it was impossible to win. And then there was Dante. Just the thought of her caused him to make a disapproving face. She was even crazier then the homunculus. While Envy was pretty insane, he really only had one goal and that was to make humans suffer. It wasn't some masterful concept, he just genuinely disliked the human race and Edward was at the top of his list. But Dante was a head case as far as Ed was concerned. Did she honestly think he would just forget about everything she had done? If it wasn't for her, Alphonse would still be alive.

He paused at that thought. Could he really blame her? All Edward had offered his brother was a meaningless existence as a soul trapped in a suit of armor. What kind of life was that? Perhaps all he could afford to give Al was more of a punishment then just letting him go. Dante might have been the one manipulating everything along their journey but she was not the one who decided to play God and bring their mom back. She was not the one who pushed Al into helping and she certainly wasn't the one who in a rushed effort brought Al's soul back so that he could spend his last four years in this world as a hollow shell.

What he had done had been selfish. He realized it now more then ever. That was why it was so easy to just accept this punishment. Even if he really had nothing to do with what happened in Lior, there was a part of him that deeply felt like he deserved being locked up. Unlike Dante, he knew mankind could function just fine without him interfering. Always trying to make life better for people when half the time he was just screwing things up. He wondered if alchemy really was so great. It was suppose to make their lives easier when all it really had done was make things more difficult. If there was honestly any way for him to switch places with Al, he would. As that sobering thought passed through his mind, there was the sound of the outer door opening up as it scrapped across the floor. The sound didn't bring any comfort to him and he didn't bother to look towards the door to see who was coming to visit him. It was definitely more then one person though. Maybe they had finally decided what they were going to do with him.

Maybe he would be seeing Alphonse a lot sooner then he thought.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty One: Traitors

The Flame alchemist couldn't help but stare in shock. For one, he had managed to walk in the front door at Central Command and no one even seemed to notice him. But the thing that really threw him off was the topic that every person he passed was talking about. He was probably the only person who wasn't thrilled to hear the Furer had returned. He was certain his lack of enthusiasm was written all over his face. Without speaking to anyone, he made it to his office and closed the door behind him. Taking in the room, he slouched his shoulders and let out a groan. The mountain of paperwork that was occupying his desk made it feel as though he'd been gone for years. Didn't people here notice he was gone at all? You would think they'd get the hint after dropping off so much that he wasn't there to deal with it. Trudging over, he dropped into his chair with a sigh. He was certain much of this concerned Lior and his loose cannon of a subordinate that he had so recently stuck his neck out for. He had a bad feeling he was going to be paying for that one for a long time. The silence in the room was broken when the phone rang from somewhere under one of the many stacks of paper. Leaning over the side, he found the phone's line going to the wall and tried to follow it before the person on the other end decided to hang up. Trying to shift a couple of stacks out of his way, he accidentally sent several papers to the floor.

"Oh come on," he whined, finally placing his hand on the receiver and answering the call. "This is Mustang."

"Sir, when you get the chance, the Furer would like to meet with you." He couldn't contain the grimace but remained professional in his tone.

"I'll be right there." He got off the phone quickly, shaking his head in disbelief. No one else even acknowledged his presence so how the Furer knew he was on the premise at all was uncanny. He knew there was the chance that the Furer would just deal with him on the spot and for whatever reason he wasn't worried about it. He had to admit though that this whole situation was strange. As he left his office he couldn't help but wonder what he would learn in this meeting. The purpose of coming here was to help Fullmetal out but he really wasn't in any position to be making demands.

Before he knew it, he was standing outside the Furer's office. There was no avoiding it now as he sucked in a breath and straightened up before knocking on the door. As he entered the office, he immediately noticed King Bradley as he looked out the window behind his desk. It almost seemed like a challenge but he was not about to attempt anything dangerous right now. This already felt like a trap as it was and he already didn't like that he had no exit strategy. Closing the door, he also noticed the young woman sitting in one of the chairs, holding a cup of tea.

"You showed up, I have to say I am some what surprised." The Furer remained where he was with his back to the General and his arms folded behind his back. Roy made his way over to the desk but remained standing.

"Well of course, he wouldn't risk being insubordinate. We have to keep up appearances after all," the very familiar girl mentioned. She grinned up at him, mischievously. He immediately recognized her from the mansion but he was shocked to see her at Central Command. Normally, she remained hidden but by this point she probably didn't see the point. Once again, Mustang had to remind himself not to under estimate her. Hughes had told him quite a bit before they went in to rescue Fullmetal and whatever gaps were in his explanation, Edward filled in on the train ride home. If he didn't know what kind of person she was, her appearance would throw anyone off, even a skilled State alchemist like Roy. Even now, she remained seated while sipping her tea in a polite manner. She wore a simple red dress with satin black gloves with lace edging the cuffs, completing the roll of innocent youth.

"I would ask how you survived, Sir but I am sure that is something you aren't going to tell me." Bradley let out a tired sigh and turned with an uninterested look on his face.

"I'm bored with this," he muttered as a flash of light filled the space he occupied. Envy stretched his arms over his head and strutted over to the desk. "Who wants to play an old man the rest of their life anyway?" He flopped down in the Furer's chair and propped his feet up on the desk. While the possibility of the Furer being someone else had been something Roy had already considered, he was still not expecting Envy to drop the facade so quickly. Dante seemed displeased immediately as she placed her teacup down.

"Envy, you're not doing as I told you."

"So I suppose you're going to get rid of me now that I know?" Mustang never liked being caught off guard so he figured he would just ask the obvious question.

"Well I never said anything like that. We're just here to talk." Roy remained standing, crossing his arms over his chest.

"And what is it you want from me?"

"For someone who could be arrested for treason, you certainly make a lot of demands. There is only one thing that I want from you and that is to play along with the idea that the Furer is still alive. We are going to tell the council to release Edward and we need it to look as though you managed to convince him. At the very least, anyway."

"Why not just say he changed his mind? He's allowed to do that."

"But it's not as believable. And once they agree to release him, he's coming back with us."

"Funny, I'm pretty sure he'd rather rot in jail if that's the other option." Dante narrowed her gaze at the Flame alchemist. She really didn't hold him in high regard despite his talent or the fact that he managed to single handedly take down one of her homunculi. "And then what? You're going to convince him to stay with you? What's the point of keeping him locked up?"

"At some point I will probably need another Philosopher stone and when that time comes, I'll need him."

"You honestly think he's gonna help you make it? You really don't know him very well." The smug grin on her face said there was more to it then what she was telling him. "I have no problem with getting him released however he was pretty beaten up last I saw. It might be smart to let his mechanic fix him first before you enslave him for the rest of his life." Roy fell into a lazier posture, trying to make it look like he didn't really care. "Of course to guarantee this all works out to your benefit, you might want to throw something on the table that benefits me. The Furer could always retire and hand the position over to someone younger."

Dante had to think about that one for a second. She had enjoyed toying with the country through it's leadership and the military. She wasn't sure if she wanted to give it all up.

"You'll have to convince him that coming with me is in his best interest."

"I should be able to handle that."

...

More annoying questions.

It was all Edward needed, only this time it was far worse then a room full of older military men who more then likely didn't care for him in the first place. Apparently this was just their way of buying time while they decided what it was they wanted to do with him. They hadn't even bothered to shut the door and talk in private. Instead they stood in the hallway right outside the room, discussing him as though he couldn't hear the conversation.

His sanity was being called into question now. As he sat there being forced to listen to General Hakuro talking to the therapist, he decided he didn't care what they said. Claiming that he had 'emotional trauma' was either completely ridiculous or incredibly accurate. And could he really blame them? He hadn't even had the opportunity to mourn for his loss. He had been tossed into one situation after another. Didn't Al deserve more then just the occasional passing thought. Didn't his short life deserve some acknowledgement? What kind of older brother was he that he didn't have the decency to honor his brother's sacrifice? And now his own life was just something to toy with. Before he was forced to come here, they had taken him to the military hospital to make sure he was okay physically. The doctor had informed the officers that Edward must not have been eating lately, considering he was starting to look thin through his face. Maybe if they gave him half decent food that wouldn't be a problem. A couple other things were mentioned but he expected as much considering how Envy treated him. And it wasn't like he enjoyed his automail being in such disassembly.

He didn't understand why there was such a sudden fuss over his well being, physically or mentally. It wasn't going to change anyone's mind in the end. Maybe his appearance made them all feel bad for him and they couldn't stand having a conscience about all of this. He heard the door to the office close and he turned his attention to the only other man in the room. The therapist almost seemed uncertain as he continued to look over the report in his hand. Readjusting his glasses as he glanced up at Edward, he forced a kind smile on his face as though he felt bad for the teen in his office. Edward turned his attention back to the window, deciding he didn't want to talk to anyone. Especially this guy and especially about his problems.

"So, Edward...," the doctor didn't sound very confident. If Ed didn't know any better he'd think that the man was intimidated by him. "It was brought to my attention that you supposedly quit the military shortly after leaving Lior. Can you tell me about that?" The blond across the room let out a tired sigh. He had no desire to talk about his motives, let alone his actions. Anything he did or said at this point would be over analyzed and in the end he would still end up looking like a traitor. What was the point of discussing it? Explaining things to this guy would not change the outcome.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty Two: Crazy

Alphonse stared up at the still object in front of him with a curious look on his face. Closing his eyes he reached out and touched to armor again. This time when the alchemy came to life, it was a crimson red and seemed to react faster to Al's request. The charge of energy danced across the ground and up the armor. As it faded the suit started moving again. Alphonse had been doing this for awhile and the response was always the same. He just couldn't explain it and it wasn't only the fact that he could transmute without a circle. It seemed he could also transmute without even needing to clap.

"But how is that even possible? You have to have a Matrix, don't you?" The suit brought it's gaze down to him as though it understood what he said. A thought occurred to him that caused a chill to shoot up his back. Getting to his feet, he took a step back from the armor as it kept watching him. "Can you understand me?" The suit took another step towards him which worried him all the more. "Who are you?" There wasn't an answer and Al lowered his gaze, clenching his fists at his side. "Did I really do it?" His voice came out in a soft tone as the realization made him feel ill. "Did I really bring Brother back...like this?"

...

"So you don't even want to defend yourself?" The doctor's question didn't get an answer just like all the ones he'd already asked. Edward quietly shifted in his seat and let out a yawn. He was being obnoxious on purpose. Since he really couldn't act out towards those above him, he could take all his frustration out on this guy by not telling him anything. The man across the room sighed heavily in response. " Don't you realize what's on the line here? If you don't talk to me there's no way for me to help you." The teen made no effort to make this any easier. He remembered when adults thought highly of his skills and intelligence, now they treated him like a nuisance, so why not play the part. Besides, nothing could save him now anyway. "What about your family? Wasn't your younger brother with you in Lior?"

"Don't talk about him. He's none of your business." Ed's tone was threateningly low and he didn't have to emphasis his statement by staring the guy down.

"Did something happen to him?"

"I said not to talk about him." This time each word dripped with a warning.

"You do realize I am just trying to help you. If you don't cooperate with me, then there's nothing I can do." Edward let out a slow breath through his nose as though he was trying to calm down. "It's obvious something is bothering you and you certainly don't seem like someone that tries to cause problems."

"You don't know anything about me." Ed readjusted uncomfortably in his seat again.

"Then tell me about yourself. Explain your side of things so I can understand."

" Or you stop asking stupid questions that I have no intention of answering."

"Do you think this session is stupid?"

"That question's stupid considering I already told you to stop asking stupid crap."

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Nothing."

"Would you consider yourself depressed?" There was no answer. "Are you upset about what happened in Lior?"

"Why is everyone so damn interested in Lior? The military sent troops in prematurely and stirred everything up! I was only there because I was chasing after Scar and he was there to create a philosopher stone that I told the military about so that they didn't send in troops! They didn't listen to me when I told them not to enter the city and somehow I end up taking the blame for all of it!" The therapist blinked in disbelief at the sudden barrage considering they had been in this room for over an hour and this was the most talking he'd gotten out of the teen.

"If that's how everything happened why are they blaming you?" Edward turned back to the window, watching the outside world. He was not going to discuss anymore. Getting into the fact that the Furer wasn't human and that a group of Homunculi were after Al and him because Alphonse had become the philosopher's stone was pointless. He'd said enough. The Doctor sighed heavily again, removing his glasses to rub his tired eyes. This particular session had gone on for far too long and was going nowhere. Besides without answers, he really couldn't even make his report for General Hakuro. He finished up the last of his notes before heading over to the door and opening it. Glancing around, he noticed the General was no longer outside, waiting. Deciding he'd better call his office to tell him they were finished, he turned to go back inside.

"Are you finished?" It sounded more like a statement but the doctor turned to see another General walking up.

"I was instructed to only release Mr. Elric to General Hakuro." Mustang walked over to him with an important looking document. The bottom of the paper carried the Furer's signature.

"General Hakuro is unaware of this order. It comes directly from the Furer. I'll be taking over from here on out."

"Oh, okay." The therapist really couldn't argue considering the paperwork shoved at him. Ed glanced up just as Roy walked in. The Flame alchemist wasn't very please with how rough Ed looked, more so then before but he didn't expect them to treat him very well. Traitors rarely were.

"Come on. Let's get you something edible to eat." Roy could only imagine what they had tried to give him for food. While Edward wasn't the fussiest eater he knew, he also knew how the prisons around here worked. Ed just nodded back as Mustang took hold of the handles on the back of the wheelchair and wheeled him out into the hallway.

It wasn't until they were in the car and driving away from Central Command that Edward bothered saying anything. As thankful as he was that he was no longer being forced to talk to a therapist about his feelings, he wouldn't mention it to Mustang. And Roy had no intention on forcing him to talk about anything he didn't want to although this was probably the longest he'd ever been quiet.

"Why'd they let me out?" The question was barely audible as Ed continued to stare down at his lap. Roy glanced over, surprised at the sudden break in silence. He just assumed Ed would be quiet the whole way back to the Hughes' residence.

"Cause I'm really good at convincing people." Despite his unpleasant mood, Edward still gave him a look that said he didn't believe him.

"Don't worry about it, I'm taking care of things."

"Does it have to do with the Furer?" The General was unaware that Ed even knew about that yet. "You know it's not him, right? It's probably Envy." His tone was so matter of fact that it almost seemed like he expected Roy to already know.

"Yeah, I know but how did you?"

"It's getting too easy to tell with him. Guess it means I've been around him too much."

"Scary thought." It became quiet between them but Roy was fine with that. He wasn't really in the mood to talk anyway.

...

It was late afternoon when Winry decided to go out looking for Alphonse. Even though she really wasn't sure where to look, she figured that if she stayed pretty close to the Hughes residence, she would have a better chance of catching him before he got to the house. There was a lot that he needed to know and she wasn't sure if he could handle it all at once. Although she was use to him disappearing for this long before, for some reason she was even more concerned this time. Probably because he made sure he left before anyone was up. As though he didn't want anyone talking him out of leaving. Ever since they had decided to go to Central, it was as though there was something specific on his mind that he had to accomplish. Something that he couldn't ignore any longer. Something dangerous that he couldn't tell her about.

As she moved further away from Central Command she heard an oddly familiar sound around the corner. Turning onto the next street, she immediately caught sight of the seven foot tall suit of armor walking behind Alphonse.

"Al!" He glanced up to see her several feet away but didn't move any faster. He seemed down about something but that wasn't anything new. He always seemed discouraged lately. As he made it over to her, she immediately glanced up at the suit. "What's going on with that?" She couldn't help but point and stare at it.

"Oh, um well it's kind of a weird thing." He brought his gaze to the ground and placed his hands in his pockets trying to think of how to explain what happened. But he didn't know how to tell her he thought he might have brought Ed's soul back and that was why the suit was moving again. Before he had to think too long, Winry shook her head and placed her hands on his shoulders to get his attention.

"Al, Mr. Hughes is alive."

"Really? But how?"

"There's something else you have to know. Mr. Hughes said that Edward was still alive too. That they are holding him for questioning at Central Command. Apparently General Mustang was trying to get him out." Alphonse took a step back, trying to process this information. It was almost like the wind had been knocked out of him. Edward had been dead for well over a month now so to hear that he was okay brought relief but also made Al's stomach feel ill.

"We have to go to Central Command then, right?" There was a spark in his eye that hadn't been there for a long time. A determined look that said he had to get to his brother.

"If you go there they might lock you up too though."

"Then what are we suppose to do? I have to do something!" The news seemed to bring more shock then joy as Al ran his fingers through his hair. He needed to see Ed, needed to confirm he really was alive with his own eyes. And he wanted his older brother to know he was back to normal. It was the one thing he had been so desperate to accomplish for so many years and he probably wasn't even aware of the fact. He almost didn't care if they locked him up as well as long as he got to see Edward. Of course there was always the chance that Mustang already convinced them to release Ed and if that was the case then going to Central Command would be a waste. So many thought went through Al's head and he finally concluded that he needed to get back to the Hughes' in case Ed showed up. "Winry, come on." He pushed past her and started running. The armor took off after him as well.

"Wait Al! And what about the armor!" She took off after him.

Author's notes-man I wanted this chapter to be longer. Oh well all your waiting is about to pay off. :)


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty Three: Reunited

Maes opened the front door, expecting Winry or even Alphonse but instead was greeted by the sour expressions of Mustang and Edward.

"Well the fact that you managed to get back here, alive, I would think that meant you were successful. But your faces say otherwise." Roy rolled the wheel chair over the threshold, letting out an annoyed sound.

"We're gonna have quite a mess on our hands. The Furer supposedly returned but it's not even him. And from what I know about Envy, he's even crazier then Bradley. We would have been better off with the first abomination."

"But at least you were able to get Edward released. I thought you were going to have to turn yourself in for that to happen."

"Frankly, it was too easy."

"And with our luck, Envys' going to cause all sorts of disasters for his own entertainment." Ed and Roy both slouched in unison at the thought.

"Okay, okay enough moping around," Maes announced, waving his hands back and forth. "There's enough misery in the world as it is, don't go bringing it in here. Not when I finally get to come home after so many years. Elicia's going to be home soon and I don't need any 'end of the world' talk to spoil the moment." Gracia came out from the kitchen, drying a glass with a towel.

"Edward, I'm sure you're hungry. Why don't you come in the kitchen and I'll make you something."

"Oh, okay." As much as he hated it, he glanced back up at Mustang. The older alchemist just nodded and pushed him into the kitchen.

"I need to go meet up with Lt. Hawkeye and let her know whats' going on. I should be back later this evening," Roy explained to Gracia before leaving Ed at the table.

"We're going to have a full house tonight. I'm not even sure where I'm going to put everyone," Gracia told Edward as she started pulling ingredients out of the fridge.

"I'm sorry if we're inconveniencing you at all."

"No, it's fine. And I'm sure you'll feel much better once Winry replaces your automail. It must be frustrating with everything that's been going on lately." Ed brought his left hand over and pressed it against his port.

"It's only really been a couple of days but it has been frustrating. I don't really have time to go back home right now though." Gracia turned her attention back to him as she stirred whatever she was making in a bowl.

"Did no one tell you? She showed up last night. From what I understand she even has her tools with her."

"Really? No, I had no idea." He turned his gaze away from her so that she didn't see his expression. He wasn't ready to see Winry yet. There was too much to tell her and he still wasn't sure how he was going to explain it all.

"She was under the impression that you were dead. Maes was the one to let her know you were okay." Closing his eyes, he nodded quietly back. "I hope she gets back in time for dinner. She left earlier to go look for Alphonse, guess she wanted to let him know you were okay too." Edward's head shot back to her, utter shock taking over his expression.

"What did you say?"

"Well Alphonse came with her. He went out this morning before any of us were up. She wasn't sure where he went but decided to try to find him this afternoon."

"But Als' okay? Are you sure?" He leaned forward on the table, desperate for any information she could give him.

"Yes Edward. He came with Winry last night but was gone early this morning. We really aren't sure where he went but I'm sure they'll be back soon." Ed sighed quietly to himself while rocking back in his chair. He knew he would just have to be patient even though he hated waiting.

"Is he alright? I mean, did he seem okay?

"He was pretty quiet but other then that I guess so." Now that Ed thought about it, Dante was the one who told him Alphonse hadn't survived so why he probably should have questioned it from the beginning. But then did that mean they would still have to worry about Dante coming after them for the philosopher's stone? He conceded the fact that he wasn't going to find anything out till Al got back.

...

Winry couldn't keep up with Alphonse if she wanted to. He was several feet ahead of her and still gaining speed, putting even more distance between them. The suit of armor kept a steady pace behind Al, managing to stay pretty close to him. Winry couldn't help but think it looked as though it was following him like a lost puppy. As Al came to the last couple of blocks to the Hughes' residence, he started to slow down. There was no guarantee that Ed would even be there. Winry had mentioned that he had been brought in for questioning. There was the chance that Mustang hadn't been able to get him out. There were so many things going through his head right now that it made it difficult to keep running. As he made it to the final street, he had slowed down enough for Winry to catch up.

"Al? What's wrong?...Why'd you stop?" She was having a hard time catching her breath.

"I just realized that he might not be there." He leaned forward on his knees. "And you said the Lieutenant Colonel's okay as well, its just a lot at once." He glanced up at the armor standing nearby. It had already been a hectic day and it was all starting to get to him. Now that he stopped long enough to think a little clearer he realized he hadn't eaten anything all day and he felt light headed.

"Al?" He swayed some on his feet and leaned back just as the suit moved forward and placed its hands under his arms. "Are you okay?"

"I'm just tired,...I think..." He rubbed his forehead before leaning back more and closed his eyes. Winry glanced up at the armor and then down the street. It wasn't too much further to the house as long as the suit could carry Alphonse.

"Can you pick him up, please?" Even though she was used to talking to the armor when Al's soul was occupying it, now it felt kind of strange. Probably because it didn't answer her but it still seemed to understand as it carefully hoisted Al up. Winry took the lead with the armor trailing behind her.

...

It had been less then an hour since the last visitors had shown up when there was another knock at the door. Edward paused mid bite, listening to who it was. His heart had leaped in his chest when he recognized Winry's voice. Swallowing the food in his mouth, he pushed away from the table with his one foot and leaned back to see through the doorway. He could see Winry talking to Maes with her back to him. Her tone sounded like she was worried and Hughes was making an attempt to calm her down. They both glanced out the front door up at someone else sill standing outside.

"Well you gonna stand out there all evening or come in," Maes asked, impatiently. There was the sound of metal moving and Ed glanced up to see the familiar suit of armor. His heart dropped at the sight. Alphonse soul was still in the armor? This fact brought sadness and anger all at the same time. Dante had not only lied about Al's death but she hadn't even been decent enough to help him get his body back. He knew there was no guarantee of it but when he heard Al was okay, he just got his hopes up. It would have been a nice outcome after all they'd been through. It made him feel as though he had failed his younger brother even more.

"Edward?" He was pulled back from his thoughts and glanced up just in time as Winry made it over and hugged him around the neck. "We were so worry about you." He brought his one arm up and placed it on her back in a pathetic attempt to hug her as well. The moment was awkward, especially after everything that happened with Dante and he could count on one hand the amount of times Winry had actually hugged him. The only time she ever really got close to him was when she was doing maintenance. Unsure of what else to do, he was the first to pull away realizing he wasn't sure if he liked the contact or not.

"I know, I'm sorry." His voice came out quiet and she attempted a smile in return. He had been gone for over a month. She had no idea what he had been through during that time but she was certain it was just as difficult for him to be away from Al as it was for Al.

"Are you alright?" He seemed worn out and seeing Al at the door hadn't changed his demeanor.

"Yeah, just in need of a replacement. I promise I didn't do this." He swallowed hard and attempted to smile at her. Maes turned his attention towards them as he closed the door.

"I'm gonna get Alphonse in bed, Winry." Edward looked over again, confused by the statement. That was when he realized that the armor was carrying someone.

"Wait...Al is..." He tried to maneuver the wheelchair around Winry in a desperate attempt to get closer. There was no doubt it was Alphonse in the flesh. The sight was enough to bring tears to his eyes. "He got his body back," his voice came out in a low husky tone that was barely audible.

"Ed?" Winry came up from behind him.

"I'm okay," he answered, shaking his head and rubbing at his eyes. Despite what he said though, he definitely did not sound okay. He cleared his throat and looked up at Winry. "But why is the armor still moving around on it's own? That doesn't make any sense."

"Al didn't get the chance to tell me, he collapsed on the way here. He's been gone all day and probably just forgot to eat."

"I'm sure a good nights sleep will do him well." Maes motioned for the armor to follow him into the back hallway. Ed slumped back in his chair, sighing heavily to himself. It was almost too much relief for him at once and he was already tired.

"Ed, did you want me to go ahead and fix your automail?" He thought about it for a moment before answering.

"Let's just wait till tomorrow. It's not like I'm going anywhere anyway."

"Are you sure?" She couldn't understand why he wouldn't want her to get him back up and functioning as soon as possible.

"Yeah, it's fine for right now." Maes came back out with the suit following behind. The conversation between Winry and Ed stopped as soon as he got in the room but there was still a heaviness in the air that couldn't be explained. Maes rubbed the back of his neck, quirking one eyebrow at the two teens. After too many silent minutes went by Edward glanced over at Hughes. "Everything okay?"

"It's just weird having this many people staying here. I'm wondering where everyone's gonna sleep. I'm guessing Roys' gonna end up on the couch at this rate."

"Well I could always sleep in Elicia's room," Winry suggested.

"Wait a second, where is she," Maes realized that despite all the company staying at his house, it was oddly quiet. Gracia came around the corner with concern written all over her face.

"We forgot about Elicia. It was her first day of school and it ended over half anhour ago." Hughes immediately started to panic.

"How do we forget about our only child?" Gracia was already taking her apron off and heading for the door with Maes on her heels, as she grabbed her coat she turned back to her husband and pointed a finger in his face.

"You have to stay here."

"But I want to go too." Gracia shook her head back at him.

"She hasn't seen you in years now. Besides we'll be home soon." Without any further arguing, she closed the door, leaving him behind.

"Well that's not fair." He turned to the other two in the room. Winry shrugged back at him.

"She'd probably think you were a ghost." Hughes hung his head and sighed heavily to himseldf.

"Yeah, you're probably right."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty Four: Sleep

The next morning was quiet in the Hughes' house, despite all the visitors that had shown up the day before. Winry wondered into the kitchen after waking up to the smell of bacon cooking. Gracia was at the oven cooking while Maes sat at the table, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. Glancing over at the clock, she noticed it was after ten.

"Morning, Winry," Gracia smiled over at her. "Breakfast is almost ready, if you want to get Ed and Al."

"Oh okay." Even though she was still kind of sleepy, she trudged down the hallway. Letting out a yawn as she reached the guest bedroom, she knocked lightly on the door. After waiting for several seconds, she remembered that both of the Elric brothers tended to be deep sleepers. If she was going to wake them up, she would have to do more then just knock on the door. Turning the knob, she peeked into the room. "Ed? Al?" Normally she would be annoyed at being ignored by them, especially Ed but this time she couldn't help but smile.

Somehow Ed ended up sleeping almost sideways with his head laying on Al's shoulder while Alphonse leaned against Edward's forehead. As much as she didn't want to wake them up, she also knew they wouldn't be happy if they missed breakfast. Quietly she made her way to the bed and nudge Ed's shoulder. "Edward, come on. Time to get up." He turned away from her some with a groan and brought his real arm around Al's other shoulder. Winry let out a heavy sigh before deciding she might have better luck getting Al up. "Alphonse, there's breakfast." He also shifted away from her as well, only to realize he was sleeping against someone. Opening his eyes, he glanced down in a confused manner.

"Brother?" Ed's response was about the same as he shifted more, planting his face into the pillow. Al thought about trying to wake him up as well, but he just seemed to happy he was there even if he was hogging most of the bed.

"Al?" Winry's voice pulled him back to reality and he glanced over at her.

"It's okay, just save us some for later. I'm not really hungry right now." She shrugged back and headed out, shutting the door behind her. Al settled back down, resting his head against Edward's and falling asleep again.

...

Several hours went by and Winry found herself bored while Maes and Roy talked about figuring out their next move and Gracia went to the grocery store. Staring down at the automail arm she had been dragging around for awhile now, she realized she didn't want to work on it anymore. It was a good thing that she hadn't sold it in Rush Valley or Ed would have had to wait longer on it. And she knew Edward would want his arm back and functioning soon but for whatever reason, she couldn't push herself to finish the last touches on it.

Part of her felt that since Ed was here now, Alphonse just didn't need her anymore. He had already been very distant to her lately as it was and she knew this wouldn't make him need her anymore. She wondered if he was going to tell Ed about what happened between them. It had only happened once but he'd made it clear that he felt bad about it because of Edward. As much as she hoped he wouldn't say anything, she also wondered what Ed would do if he found out. Somehow she had a feeling he would be upset no matter what.

And then there was everything else going on. She still didn't know what danger they were up against, although thinking more about it, she had never really known much about it. Edward had made it a point to keep her out of the loop and even though Al had told her some of it when he came home, it was still a lot to understand. Alphonse' version was disjointed and confusing since he was upset when he told her. Glancing down, she realized she had gotten lost in her thoughts again but it was easy to do. It was now after noon and at this rate it seemed that Ed and Al were going to sleep the day away.

...

Ed let out a soft growl as he tried to pulled his metal leg up only to torque his ankle. Now that he thought about it, he really should let Winry look at it. He was getting tired of the dead weight and living the last couple of days in a wheelchair was cramping his style. He wondered what time it was. He had been so tired last night that he barely remembered crawling into bed next to Al. Finally squinting some, he glanced over to see Alphonse was still sleeping. He brought his hand up and nudged Al's shoulder.

"Al, hey Al," He shifted some and tried to get into a sitting position but was too off balance. Alphonse let out a yawn before realizing Edward was awake.

"Are you alright?" Al moved quickly, helping Ed sit up all the way.

"Yeah," he grumbled back. They both sat there quietly, neither knowing what to say. Finally Edward spoke up although his voice came out in such a low tone it was almost inaudible. But Al heard him.

"So you got your body back, I see."

"Uh huh." Al itched his elbow, glancing away from Ed. It got quiet again and this conversation was more difficult then either one of them expected. "I thought I lost you," Al added quietly.

"I know." The entire scene flashed through Ed's mind and he shook the images from his head. "I was reckless."

"No, you were just trying to get me back." For whatever reason the conversation was causing Ed's eyes to water and he didn't have it in him to reply. "And the Lieutenant Colonels' been alive this whole time but was in hiding." The statement brought an ironic smile to Ed's face, glad that Alphonse knew to change the subject.

"Yeah and apparently Hohenheim is really _really_ old and now we have to deal with his psychotic ex-girlfriend."

"And Envy." Ed shivered slightly but just nodded back. "What are we gonna do about them?"

"Hughes seems to know a lot more then we thought, we should probably talk with him." Al was going to agree but his stomach responded for him with a low growl. Edward could help but laugh at the look on his brother's face. It was just another reminder that Al had his body back. "Maybe you should eat something first."

"Probably, I haven't really been taking care of myself lately." Ed glanced over to where his metal arm should have been and sighed heavily.

"Yeah, you're not the only one. Guess I should let Winry torture me and get it over with." He cringed at the thought but was getting tired of relying on everyone around him for everything.

"Oh, Winry," Al turned away from Ed hoping he didn't notice the embarrassed look on his face.

"Al? What about Winry?"

"What? Nothing." The younger Elric rubbed the back of his head still not looking at Ed.

"Okay I know somethings' up. You always scratch your head when you're hiding something. Just tell me."

"Well it's just that um, you see Winry and I kind of...uh well...we did something." Ed's expression dropped slightly and Al knew he didn't have to come out and say it. "But it only happened once and I felt bad after..." Al's guilt only confirmed what Ed suspected. Sometimes being smart was overrated. Shaking his head, he tried not to blush but his face was reddening despite his effort. Even though he understood what Al was trying to telling him, it still seemed so unlikely. Regardless of how he felt about it, he was having a hard time grasping it.

"Wait, you did what?"


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty Five: Emotions

The quiet through out the Hughes' residence was shattered by a single question.

"Wait, you did what!" Ed's shrill tone carried all the way to the kitchen and Winry flinched when she heard him. There was no denying what had caused such a reaction. Conceding that there was no point avoiding the situation, she got up and headed towards the guest room. Hughes and Mustang watched curiously as she walked by.

"Everything okay," Maes inquired.

"I'm sure it is. Don't worry." Without another word, she went down the hallway and knocked lightly on the door.

"Come in," she heard Al answer and she entered. For the first time since she knew him, Winry couldn't read Edward's expression. He was leaning forward on his arm for support and looking away from both Al and her.

"Are you guys alright?" Alphonse still seemed a little apprehensive to answer as he sheepishly glanced back at Edward.

"Yeah, I think so." They received a faint nod from Ed but he still seemed like he didn't want to have this conversation. "Right, Brother?" Ed sighed heavily and shrugged as though he still wasn't sure how he felt about all this.

"If you have some time now Winry, can you look at my leg?" It was clear he decided to just avoid the conversation all together.

"Sure, if you want. I've been working on a replacement arm too." Even though he'd changed the subject, she still felt that foreboding ache in her chest, knowing he wasn't okay with what had happened. "I'll go get my tools."

...

As Winry left the room, Alphonse was quick to follow her. He couldn't tell if Ed was just in shock or really upset. He certainly didn't want to make him mad especially after everything the two of them had endured these past several weeks.

"I didn't mean to upset him, I promise," he explained to Winry. "I'm just not good at keeping secrets."

"I know, Al. Don't worry about it." He nodded back but she knew he would worry no matter what she said. As they made their way to the kitchen, Al paused as he noticed Roy getting his jacket on.

"Where are you going?"

"My staff is coming back today from the North and I have another meeting with the council."

"Does it have to do with my brother?"

"No, probably not. They're just dealing with me now." His tone revealed he wasn't looking forward to it.

"Oh okay." Al seemed a little anxious for him.

"You don't have to worry, Al. I'll be back tonight." With nothing else to say, he headed out the front door. Hughes stood from the couch, stretching his arms over head.

"Well guess you're stuck hanging out with me now, huh Al? Yah hungry?" Alphonse only had to think about it for a second before nodding. He knew Ed just needed some time. It wasn't like Winry and him were together or anything otherwise it never would have happened. He found himself nodding in agreement to whatever Hughes was saying to him. Probably bragging about Gracia's cooking.

...

Being around Winry had never felt weird. Whenever she needed to do maintenance on Ed's automail, it wasn't a big deal. She had always been one of the few women he actually let this close to him. But this time was different. He couldn't tell if his view of her had changed or what. Maybe it was because of what Al told him earlier or even what happened with Dante. Either way, he felt extremely under dressed and awkward now. He couldn't think of anything to talk about so he said nothing, leaving the silence between them thick. Quietly he watched as she kept fooling around with his ankle, trying to focus more on the task instead of the close proximity she was to him.

"You really did a number on it this time, didn't you?" As much as he normally would defend himself, he just wasn't up to talking about it.

"I fell on the train back to Central. I think that's when it got messed up." She pulled at his leg some, noticing that he kept inching away. Her hand moved up to his knee and she bent his leg back and forward, feeling for anything out of the ordinary. Each time she straightened it out, there was a grinding sound and the joint wouldn't lock right.

"Mmm, I think the sockets' bent." She removed the plating that covered and got a better look at the inner workings. "And the halt cable is frayed really bad." Edward was certain all this 'Gear head' talk was all very interesting but he was only interested in one thing.

"Can you fix it?"

"Of course I can, who do you think I am," her response was typical but he had to catch himself before he said something stupid.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." She caught the hesitation in his voice but didn't comment. She got some parts from her case and after another fifteen minutes or so, she was finished. Ed sat there rotating his ankle over and over again, relieved it felt normal again. She put the plating back on as well, glad that it was an easy fix.

"Can you turn on your side so I can see the damage to your port?" Normally she didn't ask him to turn on his side but he shifted down on the bed and brought his left arm up to rest his head against. She leaned over him checking wires and removing broken casing. Realizing she was even closer now, he tried to think about something else. Maybe all of this was just because he hadn't been around her in a long time. That had to be it. When was the last time he saw her anyway? For some reason he didn't think it was in Resembol, but that was where Al and he left her, right?

Or was it in Central? At the factory where they took Sloth down. That thought caused a chill to run up his spine. There was a gentle slap to his backside. "Don't move." He sighed to himself and closed his eyes. It was at the factory but it wasn't her, it was Envy. He had said something stupid that totally blew his cover. And then he said something about loving Alphonse. He sighed at the thought too. It had bothered him then as well. It wasn't that he didn't want her with anyone else, it was just that he had grown accustomed to her being there for him. She wasn't obligated to always be there and he had no right to ask that of her. He never had to worry about it before. Maybe he was just being selfish. Things weren't as simple as they when they were kids.

"Oww!" He pulled his shoulder away from her. "That really hurt,Winry," he growled loudly.

"Sorry, I didn't think it would!" Her response had an obvious tone but he just let out a quiet groan and closed his eyes. Just as he tried to get lost in his thoughts again and figure some of this stuff out, her voice brought him back to reality again. "So what happened to your arm?"

"It broke." His short answer was suppose to end the conversation.

"I know that, smart ass, but how'd it brake?" He finally turned back.

"Why does it matter how it broke, it's broke so can you just fix it and..." He could feel his face heating up as he stared at her. She was leaning over in such a way and he suddenly realized how nice she smelled and that the annoyed look on her face was actually kind of cute. She was calling his name and he turned away from her again. "Nothing."

"What do you mean nothing? That doesn't even make sense." She let out a slow breath, trying to calm down. She just wanted to hit him. Sure he had gotten some pretty shocking news today and she wanted to feel bad for him but he never initiated anything so why should anything she decided to do upset him. She wasn't a child any more. All of them had been forced to grow up pretty quickly, why was it so difficult for him to understand. She leaned down to open her case and pulled the new arm out. "Turn over." Her statement caught him off guard again.

"Huh?"

"You heard me, turn over so I can attach the new automail."

"Uh, okay." He rolled onto his back but kept looking in the opposite direction. She just shook her head and continued with her work. She brought the new arm into the port in a rushed movement. The sudden jolt caused him to glance over nervously. He knew what was coming but was trying not to think about it. Without warning, Winry torqued her wrench, connecting his nerves. Edward let out a yelp, grabbing at his metal shoulder as though he could somehow sooth the intense pain. "Why do you always gotta be so rough," he cried out, attempting to sit up and adjust as best he could. She tossed her wrench into her case.

"I don't know, why do you have to be so difficult?" If there was ever a time to yell at him it was now when his thought process was limited. "For years now I've been there for you. You and Al. I've worked soo hard to be a better mechanic just for you and it never gets acknowledged. And what was worse then that was the constant worry that one of you wouldn't come home one day. You didn't even say goodbye to me when you left." By this point she was crying and he was at a complete loss of words. "I kept waiting for you to stop carrying all your burdens like no one else was hurting." She sniffled and wiped her nose on the back of her glove. Ed didn't move, remaining hunched over and still holding his sore shoulder. "You let Al say everything for you because you're just too stubborn. Even when he finally got a moment of happiness, he felt guilty cause he had this crazy notion that there was always something between us."

"Things aren't that simple," he finally stated. "They're just not. I'm sorry if you think I misled you into thinking otherwise. I've been a little preoccupied." Somewhere along the way his volume increased and he was nearly yelling at her. "And last I checked you didn't make anything _that_ obvious either. I didn't even have the guts to come home and tell you I thought Al died. Just the thought of facing you after everything you'd done for us, I didn't have it in me to tell you I failed." The stale quiet crept back into the room. He wished he could take it all back, wished he hadn't said any of it. She just stood there, silently as though letting his words sink in more then he wanted them to. "Maybe I should just leave. Now that you both know I'm okay, maybe it would just be whats best for everyone."

"Shut up, what is wrong with you that you would even think that? We both missed you so much. I swore Al would go crazy without you." Ed should have let the silence take over this time but he had always been good at sticking his foot in his mouth.

"Really? Must not have been so bad if you had time to sleep with Al? I'm so glad my death didn't completely ruin your lives." That was all she could take. She didn't remember hitting him across the face but the red mark on his cheek said otherwise and her stinging palm would confirm it for her later. Before she could shed another tear, she turned and slammed the door behind her. He didn't move from where he sat on the bed. His entire right side ached and his throbbing cheek just added to the misery. That was not what he wanted to say. Those were not the words he wanted to tell her. There had to be something wrong with him to say all that. After sitting there for so long, he rolled over and pulled the blankets up. Grabbing the pillow, he covered his head. Maybe if he just stayed here, he wouldn't do any more damage. Hopefully.

Author's Notes- No reviews last chapter, what gives? X


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty Six: Negotiating

When Roy got to his office, he noticed none of his staff was there yet and that his office door was slightly open. As he entered, he immediately caught sight of the two individuals that had made themselves at home. Envy was sitting at his seat behind the desk with his feet propped up and his arms behind his head for support. Dante was behind him, looking out the window as though she was studying the outside world and what people did throughout the day. Taking off his jacket, he cleared his throat to make his presence known.

"Make yourselves at home, why don't you." Dante did not look up when she addressed him.

"You were suppose to bring Edward to me. So when can I expect that to happen?" There was an obvious threat in her voice that he refused to be intimidated by.

"Well it just didn't work out that way. Sorry. You'll just have to convince him, yourself." Dante's gaze lazily drifted over to the Colonel. Her expression was difficult to read and he wasn't sure if she was going to be hostile or not. Regardless though, he remained calm casually keeping his hands in his pockets and already gloved in ignition cloth just in case. He had gone up against Ed before, so she would be no challange just because she didn't need to draw a transmutation circle.

"I don't like being lied to, Flame Alchemist."

"And I don't like being forced into a corner. You're not the only one holding leverage here." Dante narrowed her gaze, unhappy with the reaction she got.

"Then what will you do? Something tells me that you would never endanger the people of this country. But we don't have a problem with those kind of moral dilemmas." She ended her statement by glancing over at Envy who seemed suddenly interested in the conversation.

"That sounds like a threat." Mustang's expression became dangerous as he grit his teeth.

"It doesn't have to be if you give me what I want." He shook his head, quietly laughing at the irony of the situation. He had always made it a point to have the upper hand or at the very least an exit strategy.

"I don't think you understand what you're dealing with." A grin pulled at the corners of Dante's mouth. This was one of those extremely rare occasions in Roy's life that a women regarded him the way she did. Unimpressed and completely not interested. And despite the odd attractiveness of the young girl, he viewed her as nothing more then someone who was dangerous. An enemy whose true colors were becoming more and more evident.

"Trust me, Colonel. I can handle anything you throw at me. I've been around longer you can imagine." He shook his head as though her statement didn't even concern him.

"I wasn't talking about dealing with me. I was talking about Fullmetal."

...

It was impossible not to hear the argument in the other room although the actual words were difficult to make out. Alphonse barely saw Winry as she rushed past the kitchen and out the front door, slamming it behind her. He hurried from his seat and followed as quickly as possible. It was difficult to catch up with her and when he called out her name she didn't even slow down. Eventually she started to lose her momentum and slowed to a stop, trying to dry her eyes before he got to her.

"Winry, what happened?" Al leaned over, trying to catch his breath. She shook her head back, unwilling to tell him. She knew that he didn't need to hear what Edward said to her but also knew that he wouldn't leave her alone till he knew she was okay. "He said something stupid to you, didn't he?" He beat her to it, knowing his brother all too well. She sniffled in reply, trying to calm down more.

"It's fine, Al. He has a right to be upset." She didn't actually believe that but she wasn't about to hash this all out with Alphonse either. Staring down at his feet, he clenched his fists as his sides.

"Why is it that the two of you never seem to think I can handle these kind of things," he muttered quietly to himself but loud enough so that she heard him. He turned away, sighing heavily to himself. "It's like you both feel like you have to protect me or something. I'm tougher then you think."

"Al, I'm used to Ed saying stupid things. It's kind of normal for him. I know he didn't really mean it. I know you're tough, it has nothing to do with anything like that."

"Sometimes it feels that way." He quietly turned away from her and walked back to the Hughes' residence. When he got to the front door, he realized he just wanted some time alone. Without going inside, he continued down the street in the direction of Central Command.

...

The dulling pain was only numbed by sleep. Ed found a position that made the aching he felt tolerable but a low growling brought him back to consciousness. He remembered he hadn't eaten all day and knew rolling over was not going to fix the problem. Trying to bring his metal arm up he cringed as he nerves resisted the movement. She had been really rough on him this time but then he probably deserved it. Even though it was probably not possible to make it hurt more, he swore she had torqued her wrench with a little more force then normal. Regardless though, he knew he needed to get up but the automail wasn't the only thing keeping him in bed. It was possible his very soul was hurting. The things he'd said to her were horrible and he knew Al had probably heard them as well. He couldn't just take it back and sitting there rehashing the whole argument wasn't healthy either. Wearily he sat up and grabbed his t-shirt and pants off the side of the bed. As he stood, he noticed his leg still gave him a little trouble but not much.

His arm was going to be a problem though as it swung lifelessly at his side. For whatever reason it was taking too much effort to move it and when he did, it hurt more then usual. He just didn't have the mental capacity to push past it. This meant one thing: he was going to have to apologize and he wasn't ready to do that just yet. He needed time to figure everything out first. Limping slightly, he headed for the door and decided it was worth risking going out. As he step into the hallway, he paused when a steady red gaze stared at him from across the way. He had forgotten all about the suit of armor and for a second had to remind himself it wasn't Al. But that still raised the question who was it then. He gulped and headed down the hallway feeling that unwavering gaze following him till he was out of sight. The house was quiet considering how loud it was recently. Wondering into the kitchen, he noticed Meas still sitting at the table.

"Oh, I wasn't sure anyone was still here?" He received a soft laugh in return.

"No Ed, its gonna take more then you to get me to leave my house." Edward's gaze dropped to the floor.

"Guess you couldn't help but hear that, huh?"

"Honestly I think the entire block might have heard it." The older man stood up to place his mug in the sink. Turning back to Ed, he pulled his glasses off and started to clean them. "If it makes you feel any better, Winry was pretty loud too, it wasn't just you." Ed let out a tired sigh.

"There's just a lot of stuff going on. Just when I think I have a pretty good handle on things, something else happens and I react badly."

"Trust me, you're not the only guy that ever said something stupid to a woman and besides Winry can't be mad at you forever." Hughes always managed to think of the positive. He was right, she couldn't hate him for the rest of his life, no matter how stubborn she was. "Anyway, I'm sure you're hungry. Gracia should be getting home in awhile to make dinner but considering you haven't eaten anything today, I doubt you're gonna spoil your appetite." No matter the circumstance, Maes always managed to sound like a dad. A faint grin played on Ed's face as he took a seat at the table.

"So you're gonna cook something? This should be interesting." Hughes turned with a defensive look on his face.

"Hey I had to survive for the last several years cooking for myself."

"And I'm sure you couldn't wait to see Gracia cause you missed her." The grin returned to Meas' face.

"Well, she really is a good cook. But still, that doesn't mean I don't know how." Edward leaned his chin on the table, hearing his stomach growling at him as though telling him to shut up and take whatever he was offered.

"At this point, I can't argue." Hughes put a sandwich together pretty quickly and slid a plate in front of the hungry teen before sitting across from him. Before Ed even got to the first bite, Maes' curiosity got the better of him and he cleared his throat before speaking.

"So Ed,...you haven't really told us, but what happened at Dante's house?" At first it was clear that Ed was surprised he was even asking the question. The Colonel hadn't even bothered to inquire about it. He breathed out a slow breath and slouched back in his chair, still looking at the food in front of him.

"It's all still a little confusing. I don't even know why she bothered bringing me there in the first place." He really wanted to just leave it at that.

"From what Roy tells me, she's obsessed with you." The statement caused Edward to shamefully drop his head and look away.

"Yeah, I guess." It was attention he really didn't want and shaking the idea off, he reached for his sandwich before the conversation ruined his appetite. "So how long did you know about everything?" Hughes leaned back and ran a hand through his hair as he stared up at the ceiling.

"Since that whole situation with Scar in Lior."

"That long?" Ed's words came out muffled between his bites and he swallowed before he choked.

"Even if I wanted to tell you or your brother, the two of you took off so fast, there was no way to catch up. It was like you disappeared. The only reason the military found you at all was because of Roy. Anyway once I figured out Juliet Douglas wasn't human, everything kind of came together. The Furer had to know what she was which meant he was in on the whole thing." The topic of the Furer's secretary was another sore spot for Ed. Closing his eyes, he had to fight the feeling of nostalgia that tried to creep up on him.

"She was our mother." Although he wasn't looking at the man across the table, he could practically feel the shocked look on Maes' face. Bringing his left arm up, Edward rested it against his mouth and glanced off to the side. "I created her, Hughes and then I destroyed her." Maes didn't know what to say and knew he was probably gawking. Edward had always seemed above killing someone, even a homunculus. Hughes had seen a lot in his life and never expected someone like Ed to get their hands dirty like that. And certainly not when it came to someone that looked like his mother. The silence was creeping in on them and Maes had to think quickly of something to say in response.

"Ed...I'm sorry. I didn't know." The teen just shook his head and waved the sympathy away.

"And now we still have Envy to deal with but without any remains from his original body, we won't be able to get rid of him so easily."

"Well there is another way," The Lieutenant Colonel mused across the table. Edward blinked back at him as though he was crazy. Hughes grinned, knowingly. "To kill a homunculus."

Author's notes: Reviews! I thought you would all hate me after that last chapter. But you don't. Yah!


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty Seven: Unspoken

It had started raining before the sun set and continued late into the evening. The knocking at the door was loud and abrupt. Riza moved quickly to answer it and found a slightly flustered Flame Alchemist on the other side. He seemed out of breath and concern was evident on his face.

"Sir? Is everything okay?" Letting out a sigh, a faint smile appeared on his face as his shoulders relaxed. "Um, Sir?"

"I'm fine, Lieutenant. I was just..." He was going to say worried but stopped himself. "It's nothing. Have you heard from Havoc and the others?"  
>She welcomed him in, closing the door behind him. His hair and clothes were soaked thoroughly and he left a soggy mess in his wake.<p>

"Not yet, weren't they suppose to be back by now?"

"Something happened and I know you're not gonna like it." He started pacing around her living room. Finally he stopped and turned back to her. "Do you have anything to drink around here?"

"Actually no I don't, sorry Sir. So what was it you needed to talk about?" She headed to the bathroom and grabbed a towel for him. He took with a heavy sigh but thanked her anyway. He really needed a drink right now. Dante had taken his entire day and he didn't like her assumption that he was now working for her. Just thinking about it caused him to grit his teeth as he toweled his hair. "Roy!" He turned, shocked at her tone and the fact that she called him by his first name. "What is going on? Tell me." Roy sighed as though trying to calm himself down.

"It's my understanding that the team is being delayed. I think Dante is using them as leverage. She probably doesn't even realize you're still here." Riza took a minute to take in the information before responding.

"I don't understand why she even needs to resort to something like this."

"Well she seems to be down to only one homunculus now. I still haven't completely figured out what her plan is but I guess I should just be relieved that I haven't been thrown in jail, yet."

"I wouldn't push her then if I were you considering that we still don't know what we're up against." Mustang just nodded back, only to feel how stiff his neck was and rubbed it. Hughes' sleeping arrangement at his house was taking it's toll on him. He considered going back to his place tonight but there was always the chance of an ambush. And he certainly didn't have what he needed to take Envy on by himself. Just thinking about going up another homunculus was a tiring thought. He'd just gotten over the last fight and he was pretty sure Envy was tougher then the Furer. There was something slightly insane just below the surface when it came to that homunculus. He wasn't sure how he knew it but he did and didn't want to find out if he was right.

...

Winry had wondered around the city all day. She knew eventually she would have to go back but at the same time she was still pretty mad with Edward. She wanted him to think about what he'd said to her. All too often she knew he didn't put much thought into what he said. And if he honestly believe for a second that actions spoke louder then words, he was sorely mistaken. It had never been that way with him. If something bothered him, you could always bet that you would hear about it and he usually didn't put much thought into how it came out. He had always been that way even when he was little and unfortunately when it happened, she would react badly every time. She was just as hopeless some times.

So the question was how long would she stay away? At some point she would need to be the bigger person, as always and try to resolve this. Not so much for Ed or even herself but for Alphonse. He always ended up in the middle of these things and the fact that he didn't even attempt to fix things between her and his older hot headed brother this time bothered her. He had been so preoccupied lately even after he found out Edward was okay. There was still something else he seemed to be focused on. It wouldn't be something to worry about but he hadn't confided in anyone and that just wasn't normal for Al. It was as though he was carrying some personal burden that no one could see or help him with. She had honestly thought that once he knew Ed was alive and well that he would bounce back to how he always was but he still seemed weighted down.

She hadn't really noticed it was lightly raining or that the sky was becoming dim in the distance. Sighing heavily to herself, she realized it was time to go back. She needed to clear the air with Edward and tell him her concerns about Alphonse. The longer this hung over their heads the worse it would get and from what she understood, right now they couldn't afford to be distracted. As she made it to the residential district of Central, the rain started coming down even harder. She only had about two blocks to go when she started to run the rest of the way. There didn't seem to be anyone else crazy enough to be out in this weather as she splashed through puddles and wished she at least had brought her jacket. Something moved ahead of her and she slowed down some once she realized what it was. The seven foot suit of armor was outside the house, holding an umbrella and heading in her direction. It brought a smile to her face, even if she didn't understand how the thing was moving on it's own. At the moment though, she didn't really care.

...

Ed lay in bed, silently listening to the storm outside. He found that without his arm functioning correctly made doing anything else tiresome. He had managed to get a bath but that was such a hassle that he decided to just go back to bed and wait for Winry to fix it. He hated waiting. And he really hated the fact that he would have to apologize when she did finally decide to come back. It had bothered him all day and when dinner rolled around and neither Winry or Al didn't show up, he couldn't help but wonder if he had really upset the two of them so much. Turning onto his side, another matter came to mind. Other then all the trouble "at home", he was still going to have to deal with Dante and Envy. While Hughes' information earlier was helpful, it didn't really resolve anything for Edward. The other way to kill a homunculus was not a route he wanted to take. Of course anyone in the military wouldn't have a problem with it. In fact, if he had known about this earlier, it could have saved him a lot of trouble.

The other way to kill a homunculus was simple. You just had to kill the alchemist who created them. With no remains tying them to an actual human, their weakness becomes the person who brought them into existence. It weakens them to the point that they can't recover so quickly. It could work against Envy but there was no way he could kill Dante. Even after everything she had done and when he considered all the lives she had taken over the years and would probably continue to take in the future unless he stopped her, there was just no way he could do it. He had no right to take another person's life. It would make him no better then her, deciding who lives and who dies. Part of him hated the fact that he couldn't do it. Envy and her deserved any judgement they got. She had argued that equivalent exchange didn't exist and no wonder she thought that way, she had been killing people and ruining lives for hundreds of years with no consequence. The cost had never been on her end but others had paid the price. Letting out a groan, he rolled over again, covering his face with his pillow. He hated these moral dilemmas and for once in his life, he hated that the only person that really knew how to handle Dante wasn't here for him to ask.

Even with the door shut, he could hear Maes and his family out in the living room. Now that he thought about it, several years had past since they had been together. They were definitely making up for lost time. He could hear Elicia laughing and for some reason it made his heart ache. Now that Al had his body back, he wasn't really needed anymore. And the reality of it was he really didn't have anything to do with it. All those times he had promised he would fix things and he wasn't even able to follow through. Alphonse had done it himself and while he was at it, he managed to bring Ed back too. So where did all this leave him now? He had taken his frustrations out on what little resemblance of a family he had left and he was just reunited with them. Before he could think too far into this annoying feeling, the front door opened and the living room fell silent. His curiosity made him suddenly feel desperate to see who was there and he was about to get up when there was a light knock on the guest room door.

"Edward?" Winry's quiet tone didn't ease all the chaos going through his mind and he wasn't sure if he was ready to face her just yet.

"Yeah?" He didn't know why he answered and his thoughts began to race as he tried to figure out what he was going to say, only to realize his mind went blank as the door opened. The light from the hallway entered the dark room first followed by Winry's soft footsteps.

"Can we talk?" He found himself nodding even though he had no idea what he was going to talk about. He knew he needed to apologize or something like that. As he tried to sort through his thoughts, weight shifted on the mattress and Winry was already sitting next to him. "It's about Alphonse. I'm really worried about him." He wasn't expecting this kind of conversation. He just figured that she was going to yell at him for earlier.

"What's wrong with him?" It was the only thing he could think of saying.

"It's hard to say, he just doesn't seem to be himself lately. He keeps disappearing and has been really quiet. It's like he's preoccupied." Everything she said sounded pretty normal for Alphonse.

"I'll talk to him later. We didn't get much of a chance to earlier. At least not about what we need to do anyway." She nodded quietly, noticing he didn't seem to want to look at her. "So my arms' still actin' funny. If you're not too mad at me, do you think you could take a look at it again?" She sighed back and shook her head.

"Fine, as long as you don't say anything stupid." That got him to turn to her with a flash of anger in his eyes. He opened his mouth to respond but decided it would best to stay quiet. Snapping his mouth shut, he looked away again as he realized she knew him too well sometimes. Eventually he just nodded in agreement. "I didn't say you couldn't speak at all." By this point she was already checking his arm. He seemed worn out to her and she started to wonder between Al's strange behavior and Ed's lack of energy what had happened to them. Of course she also knew well enough by now that they didn't tell her anything. Knowing he would never tell her what was really bothering him, she placed his arm down and stood from the bed. "This arm is a little different from your last one. You just have to get used to it." He didn't like the sound of that but didn't have many options at this point. He tried to move it more trying to get a better feel for it. Winry let out a yawn and stretched her arms over her head. "Well I'm tired. I'll see you in the morning."

"Oh okay," Ed glanced up as she headed to the door. "Thanks..." his voice came out in a quiet tone. "and Winry...I'm sorry."

Author's notes: Can I please get some reviews for this chapter? Please?


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty Eight:Bend

Edward wasn't sure what time Alphonse actually got in that evening but he was asleep when he did. As Al closed the door and turned to get into bed, a faint smile spread across his face. He had a feeling he was going to have some problems getting into bed considering Ed was occupying most of it. Al sighed and shook his head as he attempted to push Ed over. He always was a heavy sleeper.

"Brother, move over." There was a grunt in reply and finally after enough shoving, he turned on his side. At least Al had enough room to lay down. As he rested his head on the pillow, he realized how exhausted he was. The day seemed to drag on and while he didn't do much, he couldn't keep his eyes open. He had grown accustomed to long restless nights where he thought too much but that was not the case now as he quickly drifted off.

...

Roy woke up with an odd twinge of pain in his neck. Lifting his head, it took him a minute to acknowledge his surroundings. He was still in Riza's apartment but she wasn't anywhere in sight. Standing up and looking around more, he wondered if he had fallen asleep on her couch. It was hard to remember. Before he could think too long about it, there was the sound of a door opening somewhere. Riza walked out of her room, already dressed with a cup of coffee in her hand.

"Oh, you're up." Her tone came out completely uninterested in the fact that he was standing there and even though they weren't at work it even came out a little disrespectful. But despite that, Roy remained confused at what had happened the night before. Riza motioned to the kitchen with her mug. "There's coffee for you, if you want it." She finished the last of her own cup before heading for the sink.

"Riza, wait a second." He caught himself and quickly cleared his throat when she turned back to him. "I mean, could you just tell me what happened last night?" The lieutenant crossed her arms and leaned against the door frame.

"What did you forget already?" He narrowed his eyes at her as though he was thinking about it more.

"Well I'm pretty sure nothing happened cause I would remember something like that."

"Something like what?" She caught him off guard again and he found he wasn't sure how to respond. Of course she knew what he was talking about. They were both adults after all and he had a reputation so why wouldn't that just be the assumption.

"You know..." She didn't say anything and waited for him to continue his thought. He was starting to feel like she was toying with him now. Finally she turned away to head into the kitchen.

"Nothing happened." He couldn't tell if she was disappointed or glad but regardless he sighed in relief. "You said you had too much respect for me. Apparently you're only interested in women you have no respect for." She returned with a cup of coffee for him.

"Wait, did I say that?" She handed him the mug and glanced up to the ceiling as though she was trying to remember the events from the night before.

"Not exactly. More like I told you no."

"What, but why?"

"Because I told you if you really cared about our relationship, you wouldn't sleep with me yet."

"And that's how I ended up sleeping out here?" It was all starting to come together for him now."

"Yup." Now that she resolved the conversation she quickly moved to the door and grabbed her coat. "You shouldn't wait too long to get to the office. I received a call this morning and there's a meeting around nine. Everyones' suppose to be there."

"Who decided to have this meeting?" She glanced back before leaving.

"The Furer, of course."

...

"But why do I have to go?" Ed let out a whine and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm still injured."

"Well how do you think I feel? I'm technically dead," Hughes replied as he leaned back in his chair.

"Seriously, the two of you are the worst. It's my tail on the line here, the least the two of you could do is back me up," Roy answered, "And besides, Ed, you owe me and Maes, well you've put me through enough the past couple of years so this is the least you could do." The two sitting on either side of the table seemed to slouch more as though they both knew he was right.

"Alright, fine," Maes finally said as he pushed his glasses further up his nose.

"Guess if he's going I don't have much of an excuse either then."

"Stop acting like such a martyr on my behalf. I stuck my neck out for you, yah know."

"Yeah, yeah. So much for quitting when I had the chance," Ed muttered under his breath.

"Do you at least know what this whole thing is about," Maes asked.

"No one seems to know that which just makes me more suspicious that it's not going to be something good." With that said, Maes got up and stretched his arms over his head, letting out a yawn.

"Well then it's safe to say we're walking into a trap. At least we're all in agreement about it, right?" His typical humor about the situation was not appreciated by the other two.

...

"If you know it's a trap, then why are you going," Winry's concern was evident in her tone but then she never was good at covering it up.

"Because we'll never get anything resolved if we keep running from the problem. And now I don't have to worry about the homunculi coming after Al." Ed glanced over to his younger brother who also didn't seem very pleased with the idea either. He was pretty sure that Dante was behind this meeting and if she was there he was certain the last homunculus was there too. Alphonse was all too aware of what Envy was capable of but then Edward knew as well.

"Then you won't care if I come along then." The statement was not him asking permission.

"I don't think you're allowed to since you're not part of the military."

"That never stopped me from being involved before though." Alphonse was determined to be defiant.

"Okay, fine. I don't want you coming along this time." Edward narrowed his gaze. Winry wasn't sure how escalated this conversation was going to get. Everyone seemed to be on edge lately, especially the two brothers.

"But I want to know what's going on."

"No, Al. I don't want anything happening to you."

"Why do you just assume somethings' gonna happen to me?"

"Because you can get hurt now." Al leaned back some, not sure what to say. "I've gotta do this on my own. If I find anything out that we can use, I'll let you know, okay." The volume in Ed's voice had died down significantly but Al and Winry both heard him. Al sighed heavily and looked away.

"Fine, whatever." Even though he knew Alphonse wasn't happy about this, Ed was just relieved he agreed to not come. Now that Winry and Alphonse knew what was going on, he didn't have to worry about them. He felt that he could focus more on what he needed to do. Before the conversation could go any farther, there was a knock at the front door. Several quiet minutes went by before the three of them heard Gracia calling down the hallway.

"Edward, you have a visitor!" Ed and Al exchanged suspicious glances before Edward stood up and opened the door. Winry and Al listened carefully as he headed down the hall, then heard a yelp followed by a sudden thud. Moving quickly, they both stuck their heads around the corner to see Ed on the ground. Izumi stood over him, cracking her knuckles and frowning down at him.

"Teacher," Al's voice came out in a weak surprised tone as he moved behind Winry more.

"So let me get this straight, I was told that you were killed by one of those creatures and now you show up alive without telling me?" She reached down and picked him up by the front of his shirt. "What kind of irresponsible child are you to make us all worry like that and not have the decency to all!" By this point, she was shaking him as though she was trying to get him out of his stupor.

"I thought you were concerned about him. That's the only reason I agreed to this trip." Izumi glanced behind her at her husband still holding Edward up. "I was concerned about him but obviously he's not injured bad enough to keep him from using a phone." Rose poked her head around Sig and waved sheepishly at Al.

"Sorry Al, it just slipped."

"What do you mean it slipped? I specifically told you not to tell Teacher that Brother is okay and that it's something she needed to hear from him."

"I know, but she pressured me into telling her why you called. I couldn't help it."

"And apparently he was just too busy to let me know he was okay." Everyone directed their attention to the only person still on the floor. "Do you even have anything to say for yourself?" There was a pathetic sound in response. "That's what I thought."

Author's note: Kind of a filler but I promise the next chapter will be action packed. Would still love some reviews on this though. :)


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter Twenty Nine: Break

Roy could not remember the last time he felt this anxious. Maybe when he was sneaking into the Furer's mansion. Just like back then, right now he wasn't sure what to expect. As much as he hoped that Dante would know when she was beaten, history had said differently. This was not someone who accepted defeat even to the point of stealing other people's bodies. Glancing to his one side, he found it was difficult to read his team's expressions. Riza had always been difficult to read but the rest of them seemed more somber then normal. Although not their normal complaining, laid back selves, it was clear that they were aware of the gravity behind this meeting. Their brief reunion out in the hall gave him little time to explain anything to them about what was going on. Looking past most of his team, he quickly spotted Edward at the end of the row, sitting next to the Strong Armed Alchemist. He figured that if things got bad, Alex was definitely someone you wouldn't mind being close to and Ed had already gone up against Dante before. It was obvious that he wasn't taking any chances as he seemed to be observing each person who entered the room. If Edward was anxious at all, he certainly didn't show it as he remained slouched in his seat with his arms crossed and his typical deep scowl in place. He almost seemed ready for anything at this point.

The room filled up quickly with what looked like every military personal in Central. Mustang did one final sweep of the room, wondering where Hughes had gotten to. He probably felt it best to remained hidden unless he was needed. The large doors in the back of the room slammed close, leaving Roy feeling uneasy. No exit strategy. Not good. The supposed Furer stood from his seat, causing the room to quiet down without a single word spoken by the leader of the country. Edward shifted uncomfortably in his seat. What could Envy or rather Dante want to say to so many soldiers? Why wasn't she tossing the Colonel and his staff in jail for what happened? There was no way she didn't know who her only threat was by now. She seemed to know everything that happened and if she went after Hughes for what he knew, what made any of them think they were safe?

The so called Furer started off by thanking everyone for being there. As though any of them had a choice in the matter. Just knowing it was really Envy made him want to tune out the whole stupid speech. It wasn't like the psychopath had anything worth listening to anyway.

"While the tragedy that happened in Lior has been costly, it is important to move forward while never forgetting those who sacrificed their lives. We must all realize that those willing to lay down their lives for their country is never in vain. It allows those of us who remain to continue to protect..." Blah blah blah, Edward wished he hadn't listened to that much of the speech. He found himself smirking at a realization only he knew. There was no way Envy had come up with any of what he was saying. Now that he thought about it, he wondered where Dante was. Glancing around, he finally caught sight of her standing in the back of the room. She seemed to be mouthing every single word Envy said, only confirming he hadn't come up with the impressive speech himself. He narrowed his gaze at her unknowingly as he realized that as much as Envy was her puppet so was pretty much everyone in this room. They would all blindly follow whatever the Furer ordered them to do. If he told them to go out into Central right now and murder all the citizens, he wouldn't be surprised if many of them just agreed without question.

Getting lost in his thoughts he hadn't realized that Dante noticed him looking at her. She smiled back at him and he was quick to look away. He wondered how long she'd been staring at him and he could still feel her gaze on his back. Looking down the row, he caught the look on Mustang's face as well. He seemed pretty anxious as he absentmindedly was rubbing his thumb against the side of his pointer finger. Feeling someone staring at him, Roy looked down the row to see Ed making a face at him. Still crossing his arms, he leaned forward and mouthed 'what' to his subordinate. Ed practically slapped himself in the face before pointing at the Flame Alchemist's nervous tick. The Colonel glanced down to realize what he was doing and stopped. Enough friction on his ignition cloth could probably start a quite the fire. Roy just shrugged and mouthed a sorry in return.

"Sorry? Sorry? You're going to burn the whole place down," Edward whispered back.

"I would not, you're making a big deal out of nothing."

"Really? Cause I don't think being burnt to death is something I should be taking lightly."

"Well it would certainly solve a lot of problems for us, wouldn't it?" Just as the Colonel finished his hushed statement, it brought a devious spark to his eyes. Ed had a bad feeling that he knew what that look was, as he had had it himself many times before. He shook his head.

"You wouldn't." The look he received said otherwise. Before the conversation could go any further, Lieutenant Hawkeye leaned in.

"What are you two doing? This is not the place for this," she told them quietly.

"Is there a problem over here?" The question didn't come from anyone sitting near them but from the front of the room. Edward sat up as straight as possible, trying to disappear next to Alex. Roy cleared his throat as though he was going to speak for the rest of the room while addressing the Furer's question. Ed could feel his heart pounding in his ears as he dreaded what the Colonel might say.

"Actually there is a problem, Sir." He decided to stand when speaking to the Furer. Besides he already had a reputation so there was no reason to back down now.

"Really? What about?" The Furer still managed to appear calm which was all the more irritating. Roy could feel Riza glaring at him while the rest of his team continued to stare in complete shock.

"You haven't even mentioned the attack that happened several weeks ago at your mansion. Lieutenant Colonel Archer died trying to defend you and your family."

"While I am very honored by the Lieutenant Colonel's sacrifice, that is not what we are discussing today."

"Don't you think the fact that there is someone in the military is after you, should be all of our priority?" Edward looked back at Dante to see how she was reacting to this interruption. She certainly didn't seem happy about it. No one seemed to know where the Colonel was going with this.

"I don't think that my safety isn't as important as the citizens of our country."

"Is that really how you feel?" Envy smiled back at the Flame Alchemist, almost in a challenging way that no one else caught.

"Colonel, I don't understand where you're going with this but the people out there are who we need to protect." This time, Roy answered by snapping his fingers, sending a wave of flames towards the Furer. The room went into a panic as several officers around him, drew their guns and pointed them in the traitor's direction. The Furer took a step back, covering his face. Several men got over to him, attempting to help. They realized quickly that there wasn't any damage. The entire thing had just been for show. The Furer pushed away from them and without thinking about it, Envy transformed back to his normal self. Several gasps erupted through out the room, everyone now questioning who this person was that had been impersonating the Furer. Mustang took this moment to state his claim, pointing an accusing finger at the homunculus.

"Here's what I think happened. This thing killed our Furer and has been pretending to be him ever since. And he's tried to cover it up by taking out those who know about him."

"That's quite the accusations, Colonel. Do you have any proof to support this," Roy always recognized his biggest critic's voice as General Hakuro headed towards the front of the room. At this point there seemed to be more guns pointed at Envy then at the Colonel.

"Well where is the Furer's secretary? Or his son? Why not ask his wife if she's seen her husband sine the night of the attack over a month ago?" Edward blinked in shock. This plan might actually work. Envy would take the fall for everything and be locked up. He wouldn't have to kill Dante and without a stone or her homunculus, she would have no choice but to disappear. "You also have the Lieutenant Colonel Archer who was killed at the Furer's residence. As well as Brigadier General Maes Hughes," Roy kept going.

"I think I can speak for myself, Colonel." Everyone's attention went to the back of the room where Hughes was standing. "That thing was what tried to kill me." Envy turned his attention back to Mustang, anger evident in his eyes. Roy smiled even more before quietly saying something that only Envy could hear.

"Check mate." Envy lunged at the Colonel only to be scorched even more this time. Several shots were fired as well as Envy tried to get away. He didn't stand a chance in a room full of armed soldiers. As they were handcuffing the homunculus on the floor, Hughes walked over to Ed, giving him a particularly hard slap in the shoulder.

"Did you honestly think we weren't going to be prepared?" Ed still seemed shocked by everything before responding.

"I have a hard time thinking the Colonel was_ that_ prepared. What if Envy hadn't changed back? Then what would you have done?"

"That wouldn't have been a problem. There's a transmutation circle carved underneath the stage. Makes him pretty weak and unable to focus on his form. We learned about that trick at Dante's when we rescued you." Maes motioned for Ed to following him to the side of the stage and opened a door that led to a crawl space.

"Okay, now I get it. But who did the circle?"

"Alphonse helped with that."

"So he knew about all this?" The news that Al was in on the plan did not sit well with him at all.

"Most of it was his idea. Once I told him everything, he agreed to help."

"You told him_ everything_?" Ed glanced back where Dante had been standing to see she had left. "I've gotta find him." Without another word, he took off through one of the side doors.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter Thirty: Normal

Edward hurried through the hallways of Central Command. The building wasn't normally this quiet and personal seemed scarce the further he went. Taking one particular corner sharply, he ran right into a large solid mass that was in his way. Rubbing his sore face, he glanced up to see the suit of armor staring down at him. It took him a second to remember it wasn't Alphonse. As much as he wanted to complain about it's presence he knew it was a mute point. The armor bent down to help him up. Just as he started to brush the back of his pants off, he noticed Winry standing behind the armor.

"What are you doing here?" He had an obnoxious tone, but he was not in the mood to deal with her right now. She frowned at him before launching into a tone similar to his own.

"What do you think I'm doing here, Al ran off again and I could only assume he came here." Edward scratched the side of his face in frustration. There was no point telling her to leave so he just pushed past her and the suit before mumbling something inaudible under his breath. As they moved further down another hallway, he could hear raised voices coming from behind a closed door. As he got closer, he realized it was coming from the Furer's office. Although he normally would have been hesitant going into that particular office, today was different. As he pushed the door open, he could definitely make out Al's voice. Sure enough, his younger brother was standing in the middle of the room, addressing Dante who seemed to be looking for something. Maybe information that was linking her to this whole mess. Whatever the reason, Ed didn't care. The conversation they were having seemed to stop immediately as he came further into the room. From what he had overheard, they were arguing but he wasn't sure what about. Behind him, he could hear the faint sound of the armor as it entered the room, followed by Winry. He ignored their presence for the time being.

"Alphonse, what's going on?" He was trying to keep his composure and it was taking every ounce of self control to do so. What could Dante possibly have to say to his little brother. She had almost killed him after all. Al didn't turn back as he spoke with a warning in his voice.

"Nothing's going on. You don't need to be here." Edward was taken aback for a second before snapping in return.

"Hey, I'll go where ever I want to. And why are you talking to her anyway. After everything shes' done, what could you possibly have to say to her?" This time, Al turned and glared back at him.

"I'm dealing with it, I don't need you to take care of everything for me!" Ed swayed back a little on his feet. Al had never really spoken to him like that. Sure he'd lecture him in the past for being reckless or for doing something stupid. Those moments were countless but this was different. Alphonse turned back to Dante, steering his anger in her direction. "You lied to me and need to make things right." Dante continued to smirk, leaning against the wall.

"Last I checked, you didn't exactly keep your side of the agreement either."

"That was before you let Envy off his leash." Ed blinked in shock at Al's response. "And besides that, you got what you wanted. You're body's been restored."

"I believe the agreement was that I got a philosopher stone. I still don't have that."

"And I'm not giving it to you until you do what you said you would."

"Then you do still have it." There was a deadly spark in Dante's eyes that revealed she was still determined to get her hands on the stone. Edward had heard enough, not liking where this conversation was going.

"Don't you ever know when to give up? It's over, Dante. You don't have the same influence you had before," he hollered at her. "And what agreement are you two talking about?" Alphonse still wouldn't answer him but Dante had no problems filling him in.

"No, I suppose you wouldn't know about our little arrangement. When Envy brought me the Philosopher's stone, your brother told me he would go along as long as you got your body back. He said he didn't care what happened to him and that enough people had suffered and died because of the stone. He said, "what was one more life as long as it got you back what you had lost". So admirable, really." Her tone held a mocking quality to it that irritated Ed even more.

"Al would never make that kind of deal! He knew we didn't want to get our bodies back if it meant anyone had to die!" Dante didn't waver from his raised voice.

"Ask him yourself, if you'd like." Ed noticed Al didn't look back in his direction with an explanation. He kept his eyes closed and his head down, hoping Edward wouldn't push this any more. The longer he remained quiet though, the more his older brother knew what she said was true.

"Al? Why would you agree to something like that?"

"How many more people were going to have to die?" It was not the response Ed was expecting. "I should have been the one to die. Not all those people in Lior, not Marta, or Hughes, or Nina. And not you. None of these people would have had to suffer if I had just died." Edward heard Winry gasp quietly behind him as she covered her mouth in shock. Gritting his teeth, he had to remind himself not to raise his voice.

"How would that have made anything better? For anyone? Scar would have still gone to Lior because that's what Dante wanted. If you hadn't saved Marta back in Dublith, she would have been killed by the military, Hughes didn't die because Envy is a horrible shot and Nina..." Ed swallowed at the thought of the little girl that they hadn't been able to help. "No one could save her," he managed out quietly. "You can't blame yourself for everything." It was silent for several seconds before Dante cleared her throat.

"Yes, if anyone should take the blame for anyone's death, it really should be Edward." Ed shot a glare in her direction and let out a growl.

"I'm sure you have some brilliant explanation behind that statement."

"Well how else was I going to get Hohenheim to come back to me? I had to get rid of the competition. But then I realized that he wasn't the one who I needed to help me create another stone. I needed you but had to know you would be willing to perform human transmutation."

"What are you saying?"

"It really wasn't that difficult. All you needed was a push in the right direction. Humans are just too predictable. Of course I thought that once Hohenheim found out what happened to his perfect little family, he would come back to me but obviously that didn't happen." Ed was seething, he almost couldn't breath. He ground his teeth together so hard that his jaw started to ache.

"You mean...our Mother? You're the reason she died." Dante flippantly tossed her hair behind her shoulder and let out an annoying little giggle.

"How else was I going to get what I wanted? And once she was gone, I knew you would do anything to get her back. Even Human Transmutation. You're the reason she's dead." There was no more talking as Ed tried to clap his hands together. Before he was able to, there was another clap in the room and it wasn't Dante. Alphonse knelt down and pressed his palms to the floor. The entire office started to warp, the walls closing in around Dante. Ed glanced back at Winry. She was trying to keep her balance but as the ground shifted she started to go down. Edward moved to catch her but stopped short when the suit of armor came in from the hallway and scooped her up. Quickly they moved to safety around the corner.

Turning back, he tried to get over to Alphonse but found the unstable ground made it difficult for him to move. Dante seemed displeased with the sudden assault and brought her hands together as well. Before she could touch the ground, Ed ran for Al.

"Alphonse, get back!"

...

The explosion could be felt throughout the entire building. The very foundation seemed to shake as a large portion of the building caved in. Colonel Mustang, Major Armstrong and Lieutenant Hawkeye hurried down the hallway, pushing past personal heading away from the destruction. Before any of them had the chance to figure out what was going on, they ran into a familiar suit of armor carrying Winry.

"Where's Fullmetal," Mustang asked, trying to catch his breath and realizing why he hated running so much. The suit carefully let her down and she took a minute to compose herself.

"He went after Al. They were back there, arguing with that woman." The Strong Armed alchemist and Riza nodded at her before heading in that direction.

"Colonel, come on." He let out a growl as he rushed after them. The hallway was filled with dust and debris, making it difficult to see anything. Roy stopped short when he felt the floor creak under his boot. After so many minutes of waiting for the dust to settle, it was easier to see the devastation. The entire roof had collapsed, taking three of the outer walls with it.

"We have to find them," The Flame alchemist concluded as he took in the mess. Major Armstrong nodded in agreement and carefully made his way down. Roy heard someone behind him and turned to see Hughes with Winry and the suit of armor. Maes walked over to him, a worried look etched into his features.

"So they're down there?" The Colonel didn't want to explain the situation, he just wanted it resolved.

"Did they take care of that thing?" Maes knew exactly what he was referring to and couldn't help but smile.

"He's going to be locked up for a long time."

"Good, that's what he deserves." The two of them glanced over as the armor moved past them and into the debris. The armor lifted a large piece of concrete out of his way, causing Ed to land at his feet, coughing from his place on the floor. The suit knelt down and scooped him up before heading back up to the two who were overseeing the progress. Edward's head tilted to the side as he let out a soft groan. Roy sighed heavily to himself and turned his attention back to Hughes. "We might need more people looking. He's not going to be happy when he wakes up if we don't find Al."

...

Ed tried to roll over only to realize how sore he felt. As everything came into focus, he squinted at the bright light overhead. He covered his eyes with his right arm, only to feel warm flesh against his forehead. He immediately opened his eyes and got a good look at his arm. Before the shock kicked in, he forced himself up and yanked at his pant leg to see his left leg was also real now. His memory reeled as he tried to remember what had happen. Just as he recalled the most recent events, he hurried to get out of bed only to pause when he saw the suit of armor sitting across from him in the room. It didn't move, only stared at him. It made him feel uneasy as he fumbled over his words.

"Al...Alphonse?" The inanimate object continued to stare at him but didn't respond which brought a moment of relief. But if Al wasn't back in the armor then where was he and why did he have his arm and leg back? What price was paid? Before he could move out of bed, the door opened and Winry walked in with a tray of food. He didn't want her there at the moment. He needed to find out what happened to his younger brother. "Winry, I..." He stopped when he saw the worry in her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry but they still haven't found Al yet."

"What do you mean?" Ed could feel the hopelessness weighing down on him.

"They've been searching for two days now and they haven't been able to find him."

"Two days..." Even though he was sitting on the edge of the bed, he still managed to sink to the floor. He pressed his hand against his forehead to feel a bandage. "They won't find him."

"Edward."

"No,...I know what he did...and I don't know how to get him back." He covered his face feeling ill. Winry placed the tray of food down and knelt down in front of him. Leaning forward, she hugged him and he brought her closer by bringing his arms around her waist. "Winry..." He started to say something but it didn't come out. After sitting like that for several minutes, the door opened again and two nurses came in.

"Mr. Elric, you need to be in bed." They hurried over to help him up and he just let them. Once they got him back into bed and made sure he was okay, they left as quickly as they came in. He remained quiet, just staring down at his lap.

"Ed? Do you need anything?" Winry didn't know what else to do for him. He sighed before replying.

"I'll be fine, you don't have to stay." Placing the tray of food next to him on a side table and she exited the room and closed the door. She knew he just needed some time alone. As she made it to the exit, she noticed Mustang and Hughes headed in the direction she'd just come from. They stopped as they made it over to her.

"Is Ed awake," Maes asked first and she nodded back. "How's he doing?"

"I don't think he's dealing with Al missing very well." Roy wished he had better news for Ed but they still had no idea where Alphonse or Dante were. They had even bothered talking with Envy and he wasn't much help. Even though she was planning on leaving, Winry found herself walking with the two men back to Ed's room.

"I wonder how long they want to keep him here now that he's awake. Don't really see the point and maybe he could help with the search. We've had to be very careful who we let into that area at Central Command," Mustang was explaining to her as they walked.

"We've cleared most of the debris out of the way so it's probably an alchemy thing. Ed would be the best to solve something like that," Hughes added, trying to make Winry feel better about the situation. They opened the door to Edward's hospital room to find it empty. "Well that's not surprising."

"He was just here," Winry stated.

"I've got a pretty good idea where he went though," Mustang turned and exited quickly with the other two hurrying to catch up.

...

Edward leaned against the cold armor as he tried to steady himself on his left leg. He still wasn't used to having his limbs back and while part of him wanted to be happy about it, he was too concerned for Al's well being. Slowly they had managed to make it back to Central Command to where the explosion happened two days prior. The scene was bleak and it was obvious that the staff had been working hard to clear the mess out. A cold wind blew through the large hole to the outside world, only making Ed feel even more alone. Carefully he made his way down into what was once the Furer's office. A couple of times he tripped on the way down only for the armor to help him along.

The silence was deafening as he tried to figure out what to do. He wasn't sure how long he stood there before finally a glimmer of an idea entered his mind. Without a second thought of what he was doing, he found a sharp piece of metal and cut his right palm with it. Getting down on his knees, he started constructing a transmutation circle, one that he was all too familiar with. He knew what he was doing was wrong, that people wouldn't understand why he would dare make the same mistake twice, but he didn't care. While Dante was very wrong about a lot of things in the world, there was one thing that he was hoping she was right about. Equivalent Exchange. She said that it didn't exist, that it was a childish belief. He could only hope now more then ever that was true. He had nothing to offer to get Al back but he knew he didn't want to go on without him either.

"But after everything we've given up? Haven't we suffered enough?" By now he was finished with the circle and was just staring at it. He could hear someone coming in his direction, running to stop him. He heard Winry yelling his name as well as Maes and the Colonel telling him to stop but he was beyond that point now. Before they were able to get down to him, he sucked in a deep breath and swayed some on his feet from a lack of blood.

"Ed, please! I can't lose you again!" Winry's plea made him pause. He glanced up at her and it was clear that he couldn't stop now. Closing his eyes and shaking his head, he brought his hands together and knelt down to the circle. Just as the circle lit up, the suit of armor stepped up to the opposite side and mimicked Ed's stance. Before long, everything faded to white.

...

When Edward woke up, he could hear Winry crying softly. Opening his eyes, he noticed he was back in the hospital and he wondered if he had just dreamt the whole thing up. Slowly, he brought his arm over and placed it on her shoulders.

"Winry?" She immediately sat up and attempted to dry her eyes.

"You're awake."

"Yeah, but Alphonse..." He dropped his gaze trying to figure out how to say it.

"What about Al? He's over there." Edward turned to see Al sitting up in the bed across the room, talking with Rose. He blinked several times before Alphonse turned back to him and smiled. Edward found his eyes started to water at the sight and had to take a second to compose himself.

"I knew you'd figure it out." Ed almost wanted to ask what he meant but for the most part he knew exactly what he was talking about. He didn't know why he hadn't figured it out sooner. Al couldn't open the gate from the other side, he needed someone on this side to do it. The armor had also been a key part of it as well since Al had left a little bit of his soul behind as an anchor to this side. Whether it had anything to do with equivalent exchange, Ed had no idea but he honestly didn't care. He wanted to go over and hug Al however he realized he was just too tired.

Even though it had all worked out, he knew he was going to hear about it from Mustang and Teacher. But for now he just wanted to enjoy the quiet. Everything was the way it should be and for the first time he actually felt a sense of peace. At some point he drifted back asleep but not before settling against Winry's side. Everything had worked out, he only had to die once to get it that way.

-The End-

To me the ending seemed a little rushed but I was sitting on this last chapter for too long and wanted to get it to those of you who have been soo patient with me. Please let me know what you thought and thanks for reading.


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